Less subsidies from the federal government for health insurance companies?

Vice-chairman of the Union parliamentary group Michael Fuchs raises the question of whether the subsidy from the federal government for the statutory health insurance should actually increase. The federal government should save, is now begun in health care?

(20.05.2010) The Federal Government is looking for austerity measures in the federal budget. First suggestions make clear that higher subsidies for statutory health insurance funds should be stopped. So raises the vice-chairman of the Union parliamentary group Michael Fuchs on the question of whether the subsidies for health insurance should continue to rise. This year, the deficit of the health insurance will amount to about 3.1 billion euros.

In the coming year and with rising expenditure of the coffers experts estimate the expected deficit already at 15 billion euros. "We have to put the planned increases in the federal subsidy to the statutory health insurance on the test," said the Union parliamentary vice Michael Meister to the "Rheinische Post". In practical terms, this means that the subsidies for the funds should be frozen. This would mean that inevitably the expenditure of the health insurance companies would have to be minimized and the revenues would have to be increased. Contribution increases and benefit reductions of the health insurance companies would be the inevitable consequences. This year the funds receive a tax subsidy of around 15.7 billion euros from the federal government. It already includes a one-off amount of 3.9 billion euros that will be lost in 2011. (Sb)

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