Statutory health insurance companies: Insured people want more quality transparency
26.10.2023 13:54
How good is my health insurance? The Ministry of Health is currently developing the basis for greater quality transparency in statutory health insurance. At the same time, a representative survey commissioned by the SBK Siemens company health insurance company confirms: Two thirds of Germans, 66 percent, have found it difficult to compare the quality between health insurance companies. 81 percent therefore think it is good that providers now have to make the quality of their service more transparent. Which key figures the respondents want most largely corresponds to the recommendations that the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds developed at the end of 2022 and handed over to the legislature.
There is currently a lack of uniform and easily comparable quality criteria for health insurance companies, for example regarding their approval and rejection rates, the objection and complaint rates or the processing time of applications. The verdict of the insured is also not systematically recorded and published. That's why the SBK Siemens company health insurance company asked 2,009 people aged 18 and over about their expectations: What does it take for insured people to be able to assess the quality of a health insurance fund? According to the results of the YouGov survey, many Germans would like the quality comparison of health insurance companies to be simplified. After all, 60 percent of German citizens would change their provider if it performed poorly in a comparison. Only just under a quarter of those surveyed would not be influenced by additional information about the services. They remained loyal to their health insurance company anyway.
Quick Application processing and understandable reasons for rejections
Which quality criteria are particularly important to the insured? The study provides an answer: 77 percent of men and 75 percent of women want an insight into how quickly health insurance companies process applications. 74 percent of those surveyed believe it is particularly important that the rejection of applications is clearly explained. In addition, three quarters of those surveyed would like alternatives to be offered immediately in the event of rejection. 70 percent want to know exactly how often applications are rejected. Most respondents also expect “swarm intelligence” to provide important insights when choosing a health insurance company: 72 percent would find reports from other insured people helpful in making their decision.
Clear mission for legal Health insurance companies
“The results of the study show us where the insured would like better comparability of health insurance quality,” explains Dr. Gertrud Demmler, board member of the SBK Siemens company health insurance company. “They want insights into how a fund actually operates – both through key figures and the experiences of other insured people. The insured give all statutory health insurance companies a clear mandate here.”
“Our goal as a health insurance community must be to make the quality comparison as easy as the price/performance comparison,” comments Dr. Gertrud Demmler continues the survey results. The SBK sees itself as a pioneer when it comes to quality transparency among health insurance companies. Eight years ago, SBK was the first statutory health insurance company to publish figures on the complaints and objections of its insured persons. Since then, the largest German company health insurance company has continually developed and expanded its annual transparency report. Many other statutory health insurance companies have now followed suit. “The next necessary step is the publication requirement. Transparency reports should no longer be nice-to-have, but rather an integral part of the GKV. The GKV community has submitted a recommendation to the Ministry of Health in the form of 45 uniform minimum criteria. The ball is now in the BMG’s court,” said Dr. Demmler.
Status quo: additional contribution and Catalog of services are proven selection criteria
Since quality comparison is currently only possible to a limited extent, the only option available to Germans when choosing a health insurance provider is to look at the additional contribution and catalog of services. This is also reflected in the answers given by those surveyed. When changing health insurance companies, insured people most often turn to the voluntary additional benefits (56 %). Bonus programs and bonuses (36 %) as well as the good reputation of the fund (31 %) are also frequently mentioned. A good quarter of Germans also attach great importance to personal contact. For them, a nearby office is important - regardless of whether their household has a car or not. Those over 54 years of age in particular see location proximity as an important decision-making criterion (32 %).
background
The data used is based on an online survey by YouGov Deutschland GmbH, in which 2,009 people took part between August 23rd and 25th, 2023. The results were weighted and are representative of the German population aged 18 and over.