Federal government increases health insurance contributions for 2024 - Which health insurance funds will remain stable?

Federal government increases health insurance contributions for 2024 - Which health insurance funds will remain stable?

According to a report from www.merkur.de, the federal government has decided to increase the average additional contribution rate for 2024. Many health insurance companies are now increasing contributions, while a few health insurance companies are swimming against the tide. The reason for the increase is a deficit of around one billion euros in the statutory health insurance companies in the first three quarters of 2023.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, this is primarily due to the obligation set out in the Statutory Health Insurance Financial Stabilization Act to transfer 2.5 billion euros from the health insurance companies' financial reserves to the health fund in the current year. Without this contribution to stabilization, the health insurance companies would have achieved a surplus of around 900 million euros during this period. Nevertheless, the coffers are said to have had reserves of around 9.3 billion euros at the end of September - twice as much as the legally required minimum reserve.

The increasing expenses of health insurance companies are primarily caused by higher performance and administrative expenses as well as rising personnel costs. In addition, the costs for hospital treatment and psychiatric hospital services are developing dynamically and rising sharply. Overall, health insurance contributions will rise for 2024.

The additional burden caused by the increase in contributions was criticized by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, which warned of a “spiral” in additional contributions. The organization calls for measures to improve efficiency and sustainable financing.

Some health insurance companies have decided to keep their contribution rates stable, while others are increasing contributions. This can have an impact on the market and the financial sector, as the willingness of the insured to change can change depending on the contribution rate and the benefits of the health insurance companies. It is advisable to keep a close eye on the additional health insurance contribution and, if in doubt, consider changing.