In March 2019, the Federal Minister for Health launched an initiative to further develop competition within the statutory health insurance system.1 A draft bill has since been submitted to the Bundestag. It contains a number of improvements to the conditions for competition between health insurance funds. Further steps are needed to achieve effective competition to provide the best possible healthcare for insured persons.
At a glance
The draft Fair Health Insurance Competition Act is to be welcomed and strengthens the competitive environment within the statutory health insurance system in several respects.
- However, competition to provide the best healthcare can only truly flourish if, as a next step, an improved legal framework is established for the individual service offerings of health insurance funds.
- Health insurance funds that invest in the health of their members are not currently remunerated equitably for doing so. The existing draft bill should also include a mandate to evaluate the inclusion of the incidence rate of new illnesses in the risk-based structural compensation scheme.
