Plans from the federal government propose that health insurance companies will no longer be obligated to notify their members about increases in premiums. Janosch Dahmen, the Greens’ spokesperson for health policy, sharply criticized this measure, arguing that rather than addressing the underlying causes of rising contributions, the coalition is removing transparency regarding these increases. In interviews with the “Tagesspiegel,” Dahmen called this a “political trick,” suggesting that the premium hikes won’t disappear but will simply be intended to go unnoticed.
This proposed abolition of the information requirement is set to be passed as part of a saving package intended for health insurance providers. The regulation is included in amendments to the Contribution Stabilization Act, spearheaded by Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU). The summary of these changes stipulates that the duty of health insurance companies to inform members about an increase in the additional contribution rate will be deleted.
According to coalition figures, the measure is aimed at generating annual savings of approximately 100 million euros through reduced postal and correspondence costs.
However, Dahmen contends that this contradicts the core goal of the savings package, which is supposed to protect both insured individuals and the economy from rising costs. The Green party politician stated that this particular change demonstrates the coalition’s lack of confidence in its own legislation. If the coalition were genuinely convinced that it could permanently stabilize contribution rates, he argued, there would be no reason to withhold information from insured people about increases in their additional contributions going forward.
