Demmler: “Sustainable and resilient financing is being postponed into an uncertain future.”
14.10.2022 17:41
"The GKV estimators' forecast for 2023 results in a mathematical increase in the average additional contribution rate of 0.2 percent. This initially relieves the burden on those paying contributions, as an increase of 0.3 contribution rate points was previously assumed. If the government had the ones provided for in the coalition agreement "If structural changes such as the financing of ALG II insured persons to cover expenses had already been implemented, an increase in additional contributions would, on average, have been completely avoided," explains Dr. Gertrud Demmler, board member of the SBK.
The robust revenue development this year will help to at least partially close the gap of 17 billion euros next year. Despite this development, there are significant future risks that are not taken into account in the estimate. Demmler: “We have been feeling the effects of inflation, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine on supply chains in our society for months. They will also likely result in significantly higher expenses for statutory health insurance.” In addition, there would be one-off payments that do not include social insurance, such as the inflation premium: If these one-off payments were agreed to instead of wage increases as part of current collective bargaining, the health insurance companies would be missing out on important income for the care of their insured people.
According to the SBK board member, the problem is exacerbated by the fact that health insurance companies would have to use up most of their reserves under the planned Financial Strengthening Act and would no longer be able to fall back on them in an emergency. In extreme cases, statutory health insurance companies would not even have a reserve for seven days.
Demmler describes the approach as “downright negligent, endangering stable statutory health insurance in this already uncertain time.” The goal of sustainable and resilient financing of health care is thus postponed into an uncertain future.