The health insurance companies are demanding a sharp increase in the additional contribution to statutory health insurance.
State subsidies are already at a record level.
Berlin - The statutory health insurance companies have been struggling with rising costs in the health sector for years. The consequences of the corona pandemic * have intensified the negative trend again. For example, the health insurance companies bear large parts of the costs for corona tests or the operation of the vaccination centers, but due to short-time or partial work, contributions in the millions are missing. At the same time, according to the health insurance companies, expensive reform laws, medical advances and the aging of society are causing high expenditures.
The approximately 70 million cash patients are now threatened with a hefty premium increase.
As a spokesman for the AOK Federal Association of the
Bild
newspaper said, the additional contribution must "increase from currently 1.3 to 2 percent" in order to fill the financial gap.
However, this only applies in the event that the federal government decides no further subsidies for the health insurance company.
Health insurance companies: the subsidy needs to be increased by 7 billion euros
Barmer boss Christoph Straub estimates that the health insurance companies are “missing a total of 1.9 billion euros”.
In order for the amount to be raised without further aid from the federal government, the monthly contribution (basic amount plus additional contribution) must increase to 16.6 percent of gross income.
Employers and employees each share half of this.
If the federal government does decide to intervene, it will be expensive for the taxpayer.
As Barmer boss Straub demands, an “increase in the subsidies by the federal government by 7 billion euros” would be necessary to compensate for the shortfall.
Health Minister Spahn: Further increase in contributions is "not planned"
The state has financially supported the health insurance funds for years.
Without the taxpayer's expenses, it is almost impossible to operate the existing health care system at a cost-covering level.
According to the
FAZ
, the annual subsidy to health insurance companies has been 14.5 billion euros since 2017.
Past underfunding was remedied by, among other things, reversing provisions or, as in 2021, increasing the additional contribution from 1.1 to 1.3 percent.
According to Health Minister Jens Spahn *, a further increase in contributions is not planned.
The
FAZ
According should be kept as the so-called "social guarantee".
This provides that the total social security contribution remains limited to a maximum of 40 percent even during the corona pandemic.
Spahn: record grant instead of premium increase
In addition, a few months ago Spahn brought cost assumptions by the federal government, as well as further grants in the record amount of 12.5 billion euros into play.
However, Spahn's financing plans have not yet been confirmed by the Ministry of Finance under Minister Olaf Scholz.
The advance of the health insurance companies must therefore be seen against the background of the upcoming federal elections and is intended to build pressure on the political actors.
