The Federal Minister of Health had announced an increase of 0.3 percent
(Photo: Reuters)
Berlin The group of appraisers from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV) has recommended raising the average additional contribution rate by 0.2 percentage points to 1.5 percent in the coming year due to the tight financial situation of health insurance funds.
This would correspond to a record high. The total amount would then average 16.1 percent of gross wages. The specific contribution rate varies from fund to fund.
The group of appraisers includes experts from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, the Federal Ministry of Health and Finance and the Federal Office for Social Security. The committee met on Wednesday and Thursday. The additional contribution must be determined by November by the Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD).
The result is surprising, since Lauterbach announced an increase in the additional contribution of 0.3 percentage points in the summer. The reason for this was the assumption that the statutory health insurance companies would run into a deficit of 17 billion euros in the coming year without countermeasures.
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The estimation circle confirmed this sum on Thursday. However, the lower additional contribution is apparently made possible by the slightly higher reserves in the health fund, which will allow an additional two billion euros to be used for current expenditure next year. “This is good news for those with statutory health insurance,” said Lauterbach on Thursday. The remaining gap will be closed by measures that are to be passed in the Bundestag next week with the GKV Financial Stabilization Act.
Health insurance companies support lower contribution increases
In addition to the higher additional contributions, this includes a reduction in health insurance reserves of four billion euros, an additional federal subsidy of two billion euros and cuts for the pharmaceutical industry, doctors and hospitals that bring in three billion euros. The law is accompanied by violent protests, including from health insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and doctors.
>> Read more: Health insurance companies concerned about the sharp rise in membership numbers
The health insurance companies now welcomed the recommendation for lower contribution increases. “Every euro to close the financing gap that does not have to be financed by increasing additional contributions counts for people,” said Doris Pfeiffer, Chairwoman of the GKV Central Association, on Thursday. “It is correct to use the somewhat higher reserves in the health fund, which were originally paid in by the contributors, to alleviate the additional burden for the contributors.”
The deliberations of the group of appraisers were considered to be particularly difficult this year due to the economic situation. In health insurance circles, there is concern that health insurance expenses in particular have been calculated in the coming year and that factors such as inflation or short-time work have been underestimated. Individual insurance companies could get into payment difficulties as a result and would have to further increase their additional contribution.
More: There is a risk of a deficit of 33 billion euros – if Lauterbach does not react, it will be expensive for the insured