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The term citizen insurance or people insurance is named in Germany mostly suggestions for a transformation of the health insurance. The philosophy of the citizen insurance is to include all citizens with all incomes into the financing of the health care.
A goal is to protect the system of the legal health insurance particularly turned out by substantial income losses in financial need further increases in contributions and cuts in welfare assistance. On the other hand is to be achieved more justice within this system. Against the fact the opinion stands that more competition of the insurers would improve also the quality and economy of the health care.
Some models of the citizen insurance want to apply the principle also to the legal old age pension insurance (see pension problem).
Concepts of the citizen insurance
During the citizen insurance generally two different concepts can be differentiated:
- "The solidary citizen insurance ": All citizens deposit a certain percentage from the sum of all own income (Lohnarbeit, capital returns, renting incomes, subsidies and other incomes) into the citizen insurance. Thus the income situation of the legal health insurance companies is to be so far improved that further increases in contributions and cuts in welfare assistance can be avoided. This concept is endorsed at present under that (2006) in the Bundestag represented parties by SPD, the Green and the left wing party. If the term citizen insurance in the reporting of the media or in the political discourse is used, this form is nearly always meant.
- In order to be able to use rapidly popular the term citizen insurance become for the own point of view, of some one tries to expand it since the concept "of the health premium ". All citizens are to deposit a same amount (head lump sum, head premium, citizen premium) into the insurance. It can be subsidized with low income earners from tax proceeds. The contributions for children are to be likewise applied from tax proceeds. The concept of the union plans however that only at present the legally insured ones are included. Independent ones, officials and "good-earning "are to be affected by it directly, not be along-financed however the Solidarausgleich (free collateral insurance of the children, support for income-weak) over the income taxes.
Citizen insurance (with contribution assessment limit) and health premium are quite against the generally spread view no absolute contrasts. In the political argument also a combination one discusses.
Points of issue
The actual points of issue are "points of issue "something modified after: Klaus Jacobs, Bernhard long one, Anita B. Pfaff, Martin Pfaff: Citizen insurance versus head lump sum - alternative financing bases for the legal health insurance. Friedrich Ebert donation, November 2003, pdf:
- whether in the future all citizens are to be included into a health insurance system, or whether it is to give further a next to each other of different health insurance systems (legal health insurance vs. private health insurance),
- whether the equalization of incomes by income-dependent contributions (on one opposite the today's legal health insurance extended assessment basis and if necessary with a higher contribution assessment limit) or however - during income-independent Beitragsgestaltung ("head premiums ") - by means of taxfinanced subsidies to income-weak to be made is,
- whether there is to be a noncontributory collateral insurance for marriage partners without own incomes in the future further or whether it own contributions to pay to be supposed (if necessary then only if no children are educated or no care achievements for member are furnished),
- whether there is to be further a quasi employer contribution or whether this limits ("frozen ") or over the disbursement with the gross payment to be completely abolished is,
- whether in the health insurance independent elements of the Kapitaldeckung to be inserted are or not.
See also
- Solidarity
- Public health policy
- Health reform
- Creation of value delivery
- Report of the commission for citizen insurance in the health insurance
- Health premium
Literature
- Borchert, Dieter Eissel: Citizen insurance now. Against the market-radical eradication in the social politics. DGB education work Hessen registered association, March 2004 (background and opinions to the society, volume 1) (also a possible transformation of the legal old age pension insurance treats beside the health insurance)
- Ursula Engelen Kefer (Hrsg.): Reform option citizen insurance. As the health system can be solidary financed. ISBN 3-89965-056-5
- Wolfgang Strengmann Kuhn (Hrsg.): The principle citizen insurance. The future in the welfare state. VS-publishing house for social sciences, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3531-14509-6 (arrangement/short description)
Sources
Related links
Documents from parties, trade unions and federations to citizen insurance and health premiumSolidary suggestion of the working group "social security" of Attac BerlinThe Greens and SPD plead for a citizen insurance, crucially however are, how solidary them are out-arrangedGeneral information to the citizen insurance and head lump sum Articles in category "Citizen insurance"
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