Thursday, February 22, 2024, 3:34 p.m
Ulrike Elsner, Chairwoman of the Association of Replacement Insurance Funds, explains the outcome of the negotiations between the federal and state governments regarding the Hospital Transparency Act yesterday evening. V. (vdek):
(Berlin, February 22, 2024) “It is initially good news that the Hospital Transparency Act will soon be passed and there is therefore a prospect that the Hospital Atlas will be implemented. This gives insured persons more transparency about the quality and services provided in German hospitals. The bad news is that the costs of converting the hospital landscape with the announced transformation fund of 50 billion euros from 2025 may be largely covered by the GKV and thus the members and employers. This means that only part of the population would bear the overall burden and there would inevitably be further increases in contribution rates. In addition, there is the retroactive increase in the state base case values and the more extensive refinancing of the collective bargaining agreements for hospital employees. When it comes to contributions, this all together means an additional burden of an average of 140 to 280 euros per year, borne by insured persons and employers. The transformation of the supply structures requires tax money and not contributions.
It also remains completely unclear whether a structural reform can really be achieved and whether hospitals or departments that are not relevant to care will actually go offline. If the health insurance companies are to help finance the restructuring of the infrastructure measures, then it is imperative that they also have a say in which hospitals and services are actually needed. The time in which financial resources are distributed randomly in order to preserve hospital structures that are no longer up to date should finally come to an end.
We expect that in the course of further debates about the hospital reform, the perspective of the contributors will be given greater attention. The clinic reform must not make care one-sidedly more expensive at the expense of those paying contributions. One in three euros in contributions, i.e. more than 90 billion euros, is already going to the inpatient sector, while the federal states have reduced their funding rate to around three percent of total hospital costs. In return, the insured can expect high-quality, needs-oriented care.”
The Association of Replacement Funds e. V. (vdek) is the advocacy group and service provider for all six replacement funds, which together insure more than 28 million people in Germany:
– Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), X: @TK_Presse
– BARMER, X: @BARMER_Presse
– DAK-Gesundheit, X: @DAKGesundheit
– KKH Commercial Health Insurance Fund, X: @KKH_Politics
– hkk – Handelskrankenkasse, X: @hkk_Presse
– HEK – Hanseatic Health Insurance Fund, X: @HEKonline
The Association of Replacement Funds e. V. (vdek) was founded on May 20, 1912 under the name “Association of Commercial Registered Relief Funds (Replacement Funds)” in Eisenach. Until 2009, the association operated under the name “Association of Employee Health Insurance Funds”. V.” (VdAK).
The association’s headquarters with more than 300 employees is in the federal capital Berlin. In the individual federal states, 15 state representations in the state capitals with over 400 employees and more than 30 employees in the care bases ensure the regional presence of the replacement funds.