Insured people will have to dig deeper into their pockets in the future: at the turn of the year, the contribution rates for statutory health insurance increased. The money is intended to cover the insurers’ financing gap, which will amount to 17 billion euros in 2024, as the Tagesschau reports. Specifically, it is about the additional contribution that the health insurance companies are free to choose in addition to the basic contribution (14.6 percent). It has increased by an average of 0.1 percentage points and is now at an average of 1.7 percent. Employees share half of their health insurance contribution with their employer, so with a gross salary of, for example, 4,000 euros per month, they have to pay an average of 2 euros more.
In individual cases, however, the health insurance companies have added significantly more, as a current evaluation by the industry portal Rechtlichekrankenkassen.de shows. Among the top 5 with the largest contribution increases is the Barmer health insurance company, for example, which has the second most members in Germany. It increased by 0.69 percentage points to 2.19 percent additional contribution, which is well above the new average of 1.7 percent. Converted to the 4,000 euro example, the increase costs Barmer insured people 13.80 euros more per month. The cash register is still a long way from the top rate: the most expensive is currently AOK Nordost, which covers Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. At the turn of the year it increased by 0.8 percentage points to 2.7 percent.
Insurance costs are not rising everywhere. For every 45 providers that increased the additional contribution, there are another 45 that left it unchanged. These include the Techniker Krankenkasse, which insures the most members in Germany: here the additional contribution remained constant at 1.2 percent. Third place with the most members, DAK Gesundheit, also left the contribution unchanged at 1.7 percent.
As expected, the number of premium cuts was lower: only four insurers reduced their premiums. BKK Public, which is active in Lower Saxony, Hamburg and the Rhineland, reported the greatest decline. It now demands 0.3 percentage points less with a new additional contribution of 1.2 percent. The Audi BKK has cut back the most on the nationwide offers: Insured people only have to pay an additional contribution of 1.00 percent (minus 0.25 percent).
According to the health insurance comparison portal, company-based health insurance companies are currently cheapest. The BKK for Groz-Beckert employees only charges 0.7 percent in addition to the basic contribution. Among the offers available nationwide, BKK Firmus tops the list (0.9 percent), closely followed by HKK Krankenkasse (0.98 percent).
How big the financial savings are when switching depends on your gross salary and the health insurance company you choose. For example, an employee with a gross salary of 4,000 euros pays 4,029.60 euros annually for her health insurance with Barmer. If she were to switch to the cheapest nationwide provider, BKK Firmus, it would only be 3,720 euros at the current rate – more than 300 euros less. If you would like to calculate the potential savings of a cheaper alternative compared to your own health insurance company, you can find a health insurance contribution calculator online.
When switching, it’s not just the financial advantage that needs to be taken into account. In order to promote competition among health insurance companies, insurers offer voluntary additional services that go beyond the statutory requirements. This could, for example, be a subsidy for professional teeth cleaning or covering the costs of voluntary vaccinations for trips abroad. Higher benefits do not necessarily go hand in hand with higher additional contributions – especially since not everyone is interested in the same additional benefits. By comparing services, insured people can find the right health insurance company for them at the best contribution rate.
Anyone who has decided on a new provider simply needs to register with her. The new insurer then takes over the cancellation of the old insurance. There is a minimum contract term that the insured must fulfill beforehand: they can only switch to a new provider after twelve months. A job change or an additional contribution increase overrides this deadline. However, the notice period is two full months – even in the case of special termination due to a premium increase.
This article first appeared in the business magazine “Capital”, which, like stern, is part of RTL Deutschland.
