Additional contributions increase: This means that insured people will notice in good time in the future

There is no obligation to provide information

Government cancels rule and hardly anyone notices

In the future, health insurance companies will no longer have to inform their insured persons about increases in additional contributions. This can be expensive for those affected.

When the health insurance premium increases, it annoys many insured people. But if you want to switch to a cheaper health insurance fund, you first have to find out about the change. Previously, the health insurance companies had to send millions of letters and specifically point out when contributions were increased. But the obligation has now been canceled. The consumer advice centers are strongly protesting against this. “It is absurd that health insurance companies no longer have to inform their insured persons about increasing additional contributions,” said the head of the federal association, Ramona Pop, to the German Press Agency.

“The Federal Government “We have to correct this mistake,” demanded Pop. The deletion is part of the black-red coalition’s savings package for health spending that has just come into force, which is intended to avoid increases in contributions next year. The reason for ending the obligation to provide information was with the aim of reducing bureaucracy and exploiting all savings potential. For the 58.6 million paying members of the statutory health insurance funds, this means that in the future they will have to pay attention to whether and to what extent the additional contributions change.

Consumer advocate Pop warned: “In the worst case, insured people only notice the premium increase when their net salary is lower.” The special right of termination may then no longer apply. According to one Opinion poll On behalf of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations, 76 percent of those surveyed did not know that the health insurance companies no longer have to inform insured people about increases.

Each fund sets the additional contribution for its members based on their financial situation. The average is currently 3.1 percent – but the range extends from 2.18 to 4.39 percent. The general rate of 14.6 percent of gross wages also belongs to the total contribution that employees and employers share.

With the end of the information requirement, the health insurance companies are now spared some effort. According to industry estimates, printing and shipping costs ranged between one and two euros per letter. This can add up to a three-digit million amount per year.

In principle, large health insurance companies want to provide information without the legal obligation, as they announced upon request. At the Techniker Krankenkasse it was said that if the additional contribution changes, “we will of course inform our insured persons in detail about it on our channels, for example on the website”. The eleven general local health insurance companies (AOK) plan to continue to inform their members transparently – primarily via the website aok.de, but also via other channels such as member magazines, as the federal association announced.