Manipulation and mismanagement: Health insurance companies waste premium money
16.08.2012 16:05
The federal chairman of the NAV Virchow Association, Dr. Dirk Heinrich, calls for a more responsible handling of contribution money in statutory health insurance (GKV). “Anyone who constantly points the finger at the doctors, makes blanket accusations on the assembly line and presents themselves to the public as a notorious agitator should better keep their own shop clean.” The cases of wasted contribution money recently uncovered by the Federal Insurance Office (BVA) made it clear that Dr. Heinrich.
The mismanagement researched by the BVA is an isolated case. However, it is no different for contract doctors. “Contrary to what is portrayed with fatal regularity by health insurance companies and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, we doctors are not corrupt per se and are only interested in our own benefit. On the contrary: in times of budgeting, contracted doctors in many places do significantly more than they are paid,” explains the chairman of the Association of Resident Doctors in Germany.
In addition, Heinrich criticizes the use of contribution money for dubious commissioned reports in which the results are already certain: “It was not only in the case of the so-called catch premium study that the results were presented selectively by the top of the GKV. Although 82 percent of those surveyed firmly rejected assignment for a fee, the distorted image of the corrupt doctor was painted." Even the head of the study later admitted that the results were significantly less anti-doctor than reported in the media, states Dr. Heinrich.
The behavior of the insured's self-appointed lawyers, the federal chairman continued, was in stark contrast to the reality of the statutory health insurance system. “The health insurance companies are shamelessly using the good economy to their advantage. Instead of returning the hoarded billions in surplus to the insured, burying pointless co-payment instruments or effectively improving care, AOK, Barmer and Co. are throwing the money out the window for marketing measures that are not intended. This is also an illegal waste of contribution money. “If the statutory health insurance system does not reform on its own, then politicians must curb it,” demands the federal chairman of the NAV-Virchow Association.