Change Less and less inflow to private health insurance

Number of insurance changes in the direction of private health insurance goes down significantly

03/02/2014

Private health insurance is apparently becoming increasingly unattractive for the insured. In 2013, significantly fewer people changed from statutory health insurance (GKV) to private health insurance (PKV), the report said „Wirtschaftswoche“ citing the figures of the Association of Ersatzkassen (vdek). Although the causes of the declining inflow towards private health insurance have not yet been examined in more detail, the drastic increases in individual private health insurance tariffs should have played a key role here.

According to the vdek, fewer and fewer people have switched to private health insurance in the last ten years, reports „Wirtschaftswoche“. And that, although quite some measures have been implemented, which should facilitate the change. From 360,000 to 160,000 recently, the number of GKV departures in the direction of private insurance carriers, according to the latest reports. In the years 2009 to 2013, the number of changes to private health insurance among the three largest statutory health insurance funds (TK, Barmer GEK and DAK) has halved from 88,000 to 44,000, writes the „Wirtschaftswoche“. In addition to the enormous contribution increases in private health insurance, the expansion of the voluntary benefits offered by statutory health insurance funds may also be seen here in connection with the reduced willingness to change.

More and more people want to return from PKV to GKV
According to the latest newspaper report meanwhile try more formerly private insured to return to the statutory health insurance, as customers migrate, which could bring existential problems for the industry of PKV, since these are dependent on younger new entrants. In addition, the chairman of the board of Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), Jens Baas, predicted that „Wirtschaftswoche“, that the number of changers will continue to decline. Many would register as voluntary insured with the GKV. It should also be noted that more and more people want to switch from private back to the statutory health insurance. „Especially parents with small children strive to come back to us, and people over 45, whose contributions to the private increase greatly“, quotes the „Wirtschaftswoche“ the TK CEO.

Contribution increases cause for the dwindling change will
Recently, the tariffs of many private rates have risen in the double-digit percentage range, which has caused corresponding outrage among the insured and continued to put pressure on the PKV, explained Baas to the newspaper. In his view, with the current development, the dichotomy of the insurance market in question. This will „in the second half of the legislature certainly on the topic“, predicted Baas. The development documents the „Wirtschaftswoche“ based on the figures of the TK, Barmer GEK and the DAK. Of the approximately 8.7 million insured persons, only 26,781 members have recently switched to private health insurance, compared with around 45,000 in 2009 and just under 50,000 in 2011. Returned from the private health insurance in the TK exactly 83,866 customers in 2013, ie more than three times as many as went away.

Two-parting of the health insurance system in the criticism
At the Barmer GEK and the DAK, the numbers of departures towards PKV have the report of „Wirtschaftswoche“ According to developed comparably. The DAK (8.6 million insured) only lost just over 11,000 members to private health insurance in 2013, compared to 28,480 in 2009. From the DAK (6.3 million insured), 6,514 people moved in the direction of private health insurance in 2013, compared to just under 15,000 in 2009. It remains to be seen what consequences this loss will have on the sector of private health insurance, but the current figures are currently acting like water on the mills of the critics of the two-part health insurance system. (Fp)

Picture: Gerd Altmann / Gerold Meiners