The statutory health insurance (GKV) is financed by social security contributions and a tax subsidy. To keep the GKV contribution rate stable at 16 percent until 2060, tax subsidies of about 3.4 billion Euro would have to be paid until 2060. Without tax money, the GKV contribution rate would increase to at least 23 percent by 2060. This was determined by a study of the Institute for Microdata Analyses (IfMDA).
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Commentary: Ever since the insurance system, whose funding is based on the principle of solidarity, was introduced by Bismarck in 1883, there have been various redistribution mechanisms at work in the different social insurances. They all have a socially compatible effect by creating a balance of forces of social need and viability. Distributions of this kind are carried out from ‚rich to poor‘, from ’strong to weak‘, from ‚healthy person to sick person‘ , etc. – a system which has been successful and stable for more than 100 years. Many aspects of the premises on which it is founded, however, are no longer able to be fulfilled by the solidarity group, for instance employment and demographic consistency. The redistribution only works as long as the ratio between those who pay and those who receive money lies within certain parameters. Up to the present day, these have been stretched enormously. In the coming years, such a system, as a consequence of low employment and changing demographics, will not be able to sustain the payments. This calls for an answer from manufacturers and providers because it will directly impact on the services they offer. The system will ‚collapse in stages‘ which means that more and more services will be axed from the statutory health insurances catalog. Manufacturers, as well as service providers, need a concept for dealing with this situation.