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Increasing additional contributions: What do the health insurance companies spend their money on? By: Helmi Krappitz Print Health insurance companies are under pressure and further increase the additional contribution.Due to increasing expenses, experts demand prevention, personal participation and reforms. Munich - The health system faces a financial challenge.That is why the health insurance companies increase the additional contribution to an average of 2.5 percent.This contribution, which is now even raised during the year, is the only one to be influenced by the health insurers.An overview of which the large sums are output for. Expenses of the health insurance companies: More money for hospital treatments than medical treatments The largest expenses of the statutory health insurance companies in Germany are on hospital treatment, according to FOCUS online.The health insurers spend an average of 979 euros per year per insured person.This includes surgery and stays on intensive care units as well as treatments in geriatrics, where older people are cared for who are too weak to live alone at home.This department often serves as a stopover before moving to a nursing home. Medical treatments follow second place, with an average of 630 euros per insured person.This includes visits to family doctor, specialist treatments, psychotherapy and outpatient emergency treatments.The costs for medication and medicines are just behind, which are an average of 587 euros per person.Salvation pays the budget with 233 euros significantly less, and the health insurance companies cost an average of 190 euros per insured, whereby dentures are calculated separately and only ranks 14 of the expenses annually with around 500 million euros. The health insurance companies spend the most money on hospital treatments.© Imago/Paul-Philipp Braun Services: Expenditures of the health insurance companies continue to increase Compared to the previous year, expenditure in 2023 rose by five percent.The cost of vaccinations that increased by 22.5 percent, as well as for treatment care, which became 12.9 percent more expensive.Together with over 200 million euros, these two areas also cost over 200 million euros.Further increasing costs arose from remedies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy or language and swallowing therapy that put the cash registers by 175 million euros, as well as early detection measures that were 56 million euros more expensive than 2022. View the ten most common illnesses in Germany photo gallery Demographic change: aging of society poses problems for health system The increasing health costs are causing statutory health insurance (GKV).A major problem is the gap between the income and expenditure of the statutory health insurance companies.That is why Florian Lanz, spokesman for the GKV top association, is aimed at the new federal government: "We need a fundamental change of course in health policy," said the counterpart Ippen.media."The health policy of the past ten years has known many winners and a loser. Winners were, for example, the hospitals who received more money than ever.Expenditures should not increase faster than the income.In the end, structural reforms are necessary. The aging of society presents the health insurance companies with great challenges, as the costs of expensive treatments also increase with increasing age.Günter Neubauer from the Institute for Health Economics in Munich advocates the world for prevention and healthy lifestyle, since many age-related diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular problems depend on behavior.According to the newspaper, Jochen Pimpertz from the German Economy Institute recommends a capital -covered private provision to limit the contribution -financed share, but this would only have a long -term effect.The reintroduction of practice fees per doctor's visit is also discussed, as they existed in the early 2000s, but were abolished due to high administrative expenses.(HK)