The next bad news: health insurance contributions could also increase.Image: dpa / Jens Kalaene
The statutory health insurance could lack more money in the coming year than previously assumed. Previous estimates assume a Financial gap of 17 billion euros out, but according to calculations by the Institute for Health Economics (IfG) there is even a risk of a deficit of 25 billion euros, the “Bild” newspaper reported.
In the previous estimates “the war in Ukraine and the consequences were not yet priced in,” said IfG boss Günther Neubauer of the newspaper. “Inflation increases expenses in practices and clinics, while the prospects for the job market in autumn are rather poor.”
Lauterbach asked to act
The CEO of DAK Gesundheit, Andreas Storm, called on Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) to act. “Together with the Federal Minister of Finance, Lauterbach now has to answer the question of whether and how he intends to prevent the looming premium tsunami from the 70 million insured.” The industry has been waiting for the announced draft law to stabilize the finances of the statutory funds for three months, said Storm.
In view of the expected deficit in the billions, Lauterbach had already prepared the members of the statutory health insurance funds for the fact that contributions could increase in 2023. In March he said that with an expected cash deficit of around 17 billion euros next year, this cannot be completely avoided.
For further reading: Rising rents and expensive groceries: what actually is inflation – and how do we leave it behind?
(andi/dpa)
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kosovo and Serbia on Friday, the first stops on his two-day trip to the Balkans. From there we continued to North Macedonia and Bulgaria on Saturday. A full program for which the SPD politician and his team left early on Friday. When leaving, Scholz’s team posted a post that promptly flew around their ears because of its unfortunate choice of words.
