IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/hepoli/v109y2013i3p246-252.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The German Central Health Fund—Recent developments in health care financing in Germany

Author

Listed:
  • Göpffarth, Dirk
  • Henke, Klaus-Dirk

Abstract

In 2009, Germany's Statutory Health Insurance System underwent a major financing reform. A uniform contribution rate set by government was introduced. Sickness funds retain only limited autonomy in charging additional premiums. A dynamic subsidy from general revenue was introduced. The aims of the reform were: (1) intensifying competition, (2) gearing competition towards quality and efficiency, and (3) increasing financial sustainability. This article describes the reform, presents the experiences made, and evaluates whether the policy aims have been met.

Suggested Citation

  • Göpffarth, Dirk & Henke, Klaus-Dirk, 2013. "The German Central Health Fund—Recent developments in health care financing in Germany," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 246-252.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:109:y:2013:i:3:p:246-252
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.11.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851012002977
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.healthpol.2012.11.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael E. Porter & Clemens Guth, 2012. "Redefining German Health Care," Springer Books, Springer, edition 127, number 978-3-642-10826-6, December.
    2. Markus Wörz & Reinhard Busse, 2005. "Analysing the impact of health‐care system change in the EU member states – Germany," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(S1), pages 133-149, September.
    3. Henke, Klaus-Dirk, 2007. "Der Gesundheitsfonds: Politökonomische Aspekte und seine Rolle als Wettbewerbsinstrument," Discussion Papers 2007/1, Technische Universität Berlin, School of Economics and Management.
    4. Lisac, Melanie & Reimers, Lutz & Henke, Klaus-Dirk & Schlette, Sophia, 2010. "Access and choice – competition under the roof of solidarity in German health care: an analysis of health policy reforms since 2004," Health Economics, Policy and Law, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(1), pages 31-52, January.
    5. Peter Eibich & Hendrik Schmitz & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2012. "Add-On Premiums Increase Price Transparency: More Policy Holders Switch Health Plans," DIW Economic Bulletin, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 2(2), pages 15-24.
    6. Buchner, Florian & Wasem, Jurgen, 2003. "Needs for further improvement: risk adjustment in the German health insurance system," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 21-35, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ahmed Mehedi Nizam, 2021. "Cost, uncertainties and profit in commercial and social insurances," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(7), pages 1-28, July.
    2. Bauhoff, Sebastian & Fischer, Lisa & Göpffarth, Dirk & Wuppermann, Amelie C., 2017. "Plan responses to diagnosis-based payment: Evidence from Germany’s morbidity-based risk adjustment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 397-413.
    3. Tsiachristas, Apostolos & Dikkers, Carolien & Boland, Melinde R.S. & Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P.M.H., 2016. "Impact of financial agreements in European chronic care on health care expenditure growth," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(4), pages 420-430.
    4. Camilo Cid & Randall P. Ellis & Verónica Vargas & Juergen Wasem & Lorena Prieto, 2015. "Global Risk-Adjusted Payment Models," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series wp2015-021, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    5. Tsiachristas, Apostolos & Dikkers, Carolien & Boland, Melinde R.S. & Rutten-van Mölken, Maureen P.M.H., 2013. "Exploring payment schemes used to promote integrated chronic care in Europe," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 113(3), pages 296-304.
    6. Buchner, Florian & Goepffarth, Dirk & Wasem, Juergen, 2013. "The new risk adjustment formula in Germany: Implementation and first experiences," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 253-262.
    7. Ozegowski, Susanne & Sundmacher, Leonie, 2014. "Understanding the gap between need and utilization in outpatient care—The effect of supply-side determinants on regional inequities," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(1), pages 54-63.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Buchner, Florian & Goepffarth, Dirk & Wasem, Juergen, 2013. "The new risk adjustment formula in Germany: Implementation and first experiences," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 253-262.
    2. Pichler, Stefan & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2015. "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: A Method to Test for Contagious Presenteeism and Shirking Behavior," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 112940, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    3. Schmitz, Hendrik, 2008. "Do Optional Deductibles Reduce the Number of Doctor Visits? – Empirical Evidence with German Data," Ruhr Economic Papers 76, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    4. Courty, Pascal & Kim, Do Han & Marschke, Gerald, 2011. "Curbing cream-skimming: Evidence on enrolment incentives," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 643-655, October.
    5. Gapp, Oliver & Schweikert, Bernd & Meisinger, Christa & Holle, Rolf, 2008. "Disease management programmes for patients with coronary heart disease--An empirical study of German programmes," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(2-3), pages 176-185, December.
    6. Härpfer, Marco & Cacace, Mirella & Rothgang, Heinz, 2009. "And fairness for all? Wie gerecht ist die Finanzierung im deutschen Gesundheitssystem? Eine Berechnung des Kakwani-Index auf Basis der EVS," Working papers of the ZeS 04/2009, University of Bremen, Centre for Social Policy Research (ZeS).
    7. Stefan Pichler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2015. "The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes: Testing for Contagious Presenteeism and Shirking Behavior," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1509, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    8. Gartner, Daniel & Kolisch, Rainer, 2014. "Scheduling the hospital-wide flow of elective patients," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 233(3), pages 689-699.
    9. Pilny, Adam & Wübker, Ansgar & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2017. "Introducing risk adjustment and free health plan choice in employer-based health insurance: Evidence from Germany," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 330-351.
    10. Jacob Glazer & Thomas G. McGuire, 2006. "Contending with Risk Selection in Health Insurance Markets in Germany," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(s1), pages 75-91, May.
    11. Stock, Stephanie Anja Katharina & Redaelli, Marcus & Lauterbach, Karl Wilhelm, 2007. "Disease management and health care reforms in Germany--Does more competition lead to less solidarity?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 86-96, January.
    12. Siadat, Banafsheh & Stolpe, Michael, 2005. "Reforming health care finance: What can Germany learn from other countries?," Kiel Economic Policy Papers 5, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    13. Markus Wörz & Reinhard Busse, 2005. "Analysing the impact of health‐care system change in the EU member states – Germany," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(S1), pages 133-149, September.
    14. Andersen Hanfried H. & Grabka Markus M. & Schwarze Johannes, 2007. "Beitragssatz, Kassenwettbewerb und Gesundheitsreform / Premium Rates, Competition Among Health Insurance Funds and the Health Care Reform 2007: Eine empirische Analyse / An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 227(5-6), pages 429-450, October.
    15. Robert Nuscheler, 2004. "Krankenkassenwettbewerb in der GKV: Evidenz für Risikoselektion?," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 73(4), pages 528-538.
    16. Teris Cheung & Paul H Lee & Paul S F Yip, 2018. "The association between workplace violence and physicians’ and nurses’ job satisfaction in Macau," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(12), pages 1-20, December.
    17. Xu, Weiwei & van de Ven, Wynand P.M.M., 2013. "Consumer choice among Mutual Healthcare Purchasers: A feasible option for China?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 277-284.
    18. Johannes Stauder, 2019. "Unemployment, unemployment duration, and health: selection or causation?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 20(1), pages 59-73, February.
    19. Carla Collicelli, 2013. "Subjective Indicators in the Health Sector and Their Usefulness in Policy Making," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(1), pages 87-103, October.
    20. van de Ven, Wynand P.M.M. & Beck, Konstantin & Van de Voorde, Carine & Wasem, Jurgen & Zmora, Irit, 2007. "Risk adjustment and risk selection in Europe: 6 years later," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(2-3), pages 162-179, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:109:y:2013:i:3:p:246-252. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu or the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/healthpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.