A top official at the German health insurance provider Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) has expressed concerns that the cost of healthcare in the country is likely to continue rising. Jens Baas, the CEO of TK, told the Focus magazine that the gap between insurance premiums and healthcare expenditures is widening and the government is not doing enough to address the issue.
Baas cited the example of the “Bürgergeld” system, under which the government pays an annual 100-euro contribution per recipient to the health insurance funds. However, the actual cost of caring for these individuals is over 300 euros, leaving a shortfall of around 200 euros that is covered by the insurance premiums paid by employees and employers, while private health insurance policyholders are exempt from this burden.
The TK CEO also criticized the planned hospital reform, which is expected to cost the country’s statutory health insurance funds and employers around 25 billion euros. Baas argued that the investment in hospital structures is a matter of state responsibility and that the states have been neglecting their duties in this regard for a long time.
In his view, whoever takes on the role of health minister in the next government will face a challenging task, as all parties are likely to criticize the government’s handling of the healthcare system and claim to be prioritizing the needs of patients.