‘Elephant weddings’ and its consequences far divergent opinions with regard to the increased concentrations of health insurance companies. While one, the so-called elephant Weddings”welcome, because this would save costs, others fear a collapse of the system. This could be prevented only if the resulting industry giants in the case of insolvency would have public support. The private krankenversicherung.de insurance Portal reported the latest debate. The former Federal Health Minister Ulla Schmidt was the view, more than 30 to 50 health insurance were unnecessary and strained finances. For several months, apparently inexorably progresses such a development. In no industry, there are so many mergers in the health system.
That also risks associated with a drastic reduction in the number of health insurance companies and the emergence of industry giants, is to read analog on the example of banks. The head of the Federal Association of the Guild health insurance, Rolf Stuppardt, observed that Done with great concern. His opinion back public health goals at the mergers too much in the background and political interests of course. So the incentive of alliances is too big to simply the status”to gain and to the imminent failure State to ask for help. In the past two years, the number of statutory health insurance funds by 221 to just 163 fell.
The number of policyholders of the large funds reached however, dizzying heights. So assured the merger of Barmer and Ganesh spare cash now 8.6 million Germans, Barmer GEK. The AOK plus (Saxony and Thuringia) will merge in 2011 with the AOK Hessen and then 4.