Statutory health insurance companies expect billions in deficit for 2024 – economy

The statutory health insurance companies (GKV) expect a deficit in the billions for 2024, but it will be significantly smaller than forecast for 2023. From today’s perspective, the deficit is expected to be 3.5 to seven billion euros, said Doris Pfeiffer, chairwoman of the GKV umbrella organization on Thursday. In all probability, it will also be more expensive for the insured. Without further measures, Pfeiffer expects the additional contribution rates to increase by 0.2 to 0.4 contribution rate points.

How the finances of the GKV are doing affects many. Around 73 million people in Germany, i.e. around 90 percent of the population, are insured with one of the almost 100 statutory health insurance companies. The largest providers include AOK and Barmer.

In autumn 2022, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds had forecast a deficit of 17 billion euros for 2023. In recent years, impending funding gaps have only been filled by the various governments “with all sorts of tricks and tricks by reaching into the reserves of both the individual health insurance companies and the health fund,” says Susanne Wagenmann, alternating chairwoman of the board of directors of the central association. This is also the case for 2023 with the GKV Financial Stabilization Act. Among other things, it provides for an increase in the federal subsidy by two billion euros and an interest-free loan from the federal government to the health fund. The additional contribution for the insured increased by an average of 0.15 contribution rate points to 1.51 percent. According to the GKV, this increase alone brought in around 2.5 billion euros.

According to Pfeiffer, 2023 is going better than expected. Income rose faster than expected and expenditure less than assumed in the autumn estimate. Pfeiffer said she does not yet have a solid feeling as to how expenses will develop over the year as a whole. She called on the federal government to stabilize financing in the long term from 2024 onwards. The “contribution increase spiral” must be broken.

Pfeiffer has suggestions for this. For example, non-insurance services should no longer be financed via the GKV, but via the federal budget. The contribution flat rates for recipients of citizen income would have to be raised, the monthly contribution to health insurance is currently 114.14 euros per month. Pfeiffer doesn’t think much of a reduction in performance. But you have to think more about whether all treatments are necessary or evidence-based. In view of the shortage of skilled workers, the supply must be better controlled, over-, under- and incorrect supplies reduced. “I can think of a lot to stabilize the finances of the statutory health insurance companies,” says Pfeiffer.

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