Warning of change in the PKV

Warning to change to private health insurance: The conditions for a change to private health insurance will be greatly eased for employees from 2011 onwards. The Federal Insurance Office and the Federal Consumer Protection Ministry, however, warn of an ill-considered and premature change. In the course of this, the disproportionate advertising practice of the PKV is also criticized.

From the turn of the year, the way will be simplified for a large number of employees in private health insurance. But a change in the private health insurance should be well considered, because in comparison to the statutory health insurance, the private health insurance, for example, no family reinsurance. In the course of this, the Federal Insurance Office is now warning against an ill-considered and hasty change. Consumers should carefully weigh the pros and cons of changing.

Switching to private health insurance is made easier for employees
According to estimates of the private health insurance association, the change from the statutory health insurance to the private health insurance will be facilitated for around 20,000 employees from the turn of the year. This is possible due to a change in the compulsory insurance limit of 450 euros. In addition, until the turn of the year there will be a special regulation to facilitate the change of private health insurance. The special regulation states that employees can switch to private health insurance already after the turn of the year, if they earn their gross income beyond the compulsory insurance limit. The waiting period has also been significantly reduced: instead of three years, workers now only have to earn at least 49,500 euros in a single year in order to be able to switch from public health insurance to private health insurance. The insurance industry is already exulting in new profits. This is made possible by the positive influence of the black and yellow federal government. Critics complain that the private health insurance to the disadvantage of solidarity-oriented statutory health insurance is strongly favored by the coalition. For the statutory health insurance could lose a number of good contributors, which in turn increases the deficit in the health fund. The consequence: Further additional contributions and higher cash contributions for health insurance patients.

PKV lures with high premiums for new customers
But a change in the PKV not only brings benefits, for example, when it comes to their own family planning, now confirmed by the Federal Insurance Office. This assessment was also followed by the Federal Consumers' Ministry. Here one criticized above all that many PKV offerers lure with disproportionately high premiums, in order to recruit new customers. For the advertising of new customers pay most PKV insurance namely horrendous sums.

Such premiums are not possible for public health insurance at all and increasingly consumes the competition between these two types of health insurance. The new competition rules limit the advertising costs for the statutory health insurance companies extraordinarily. For each new customer, the statutory funds may only pay a premium of 76.65 euros. In contrast, private providers usually pay insurance brokers over one thousand euros per new customer. That alone leads to the assumption that many insurance brokers recommend the consumer rather a private health insurance instead of promoting the health services of the GKV. The only option would be to align the competition rules for both types of health insurance. The Federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs therefore suggests that limiting the expenditure on new customer education in private health insurance could create more equal opportunity. Instead of the high premiums, the funds should rather be invested in the health care of the insured. This criticism of the Ministry of Consumer Protection also includes Dr. Maximilian Gaßner, President of the Federal Insurance Office, and points out that this excessive advertising practice for the GKV is not possible at all.

Change to private health insurance should be well considered
A change in the PKV should be well considered. Especially young people often forget to include the future family planning in the considerations. But just that aspect is one of the main arguments for the statutory health insurance. For while the GKV knows a family health insurance in which children and unemployed partners can be co-insured free of charge, must be completed in the private health insurance for each individual family member, an extra health insurance. This also applies if, for example, the child's mother is covered by statutory health insurance, but the father earns more, everyone is insured in private health insurance. Then the children must also be privately insured. Anyone who later declares that he would rather be covered by statutory health insurance has very bad cards. A return to the GKV is hardly possible anymore.

Conclusion: If you still want to change, you should first make a detailed comparison. For untied people, a change could actually be financially beneficial. Consumers should therefore compare all PKV tariffs in detail and obtain independent and individual information. In addition, the legislature should limit the horrendous advertising premiums of private health insurance, so that insurance brokers are not tempted to make their customers rather a good PKV, although a statutory health insurance may be more useful. (sb, 07.11.2010)

Also read:
Change to private health insurance from 2011
PKV and children: change should be well considered
PKV introductory rates often offer less than the GKV

Picture credits: Benjamin Klack