Health costs: Survey shows great trust in funded provision

25.05.2010 17:42

May 25, 2010

Explained on the results of a representative survey by the Emnid Institute on the German healthcare system PKV-Association director Volker Leienbach:
 
“The capital coverage of private health insurance has survived all financial crises unscathed. The amount of aging provisions has increased continuously and the compound interest effect also works for the insured. This principle is also convincing among the population: 60 % of all respondents find this financing model plausible.
 
On the other hand, the financing of statutory health insurance, which is increasingly based on state subsidies, is viewed with skepticism: even 40 % of those with statutory health insurance, who supposedly benefit from it, are uncomfortable with these subsidies, which are largely financed with debt. Only a third of them support subsidies from the state treasury.
 
Politicians should therefore now seize the opportunity to put health care on a more solid footing: by introducing a funded supplementary long-term care insurance, as agreed in the coalition agreement. It's not too late for that yet. There is still enough time until the peak of the demographic problems to form funded provisions. However, the prerequisite is that these funds from the insured are collected in the PKV away from the state and cannot be diverted for other political purposes.
 
The current survey also shows that those with private insurance feel comfortable in their system and are significantly less worried about the future of their health care than those with statutory health insurance. However, it cannot be overlooked that privately insured people are also becoming increasingly concerned about the future of the entire health system.
 
Many insured people experience rising contributions to the statutory health insurance, but also increased costs for the private health insurance. We as PKV have to react to this: We are therefore pushing vigorously for PKV to finally be given effective leverage to bring about sensible negotiations, for example with doctors and pharmaceutical companies, about the quality and the resulting quantities and prices of services. To do this, we need a stable legal framework for a negotiating mandate at all levels – with a commitment from those involved to achieve results together.”