A study has shown that the majority of people with health insurance in Germany do not understand why their insurer made premium increases. According to a report by the business magazine “Versicherungswirtschaft heute”, 58 percent of those insured tend not to understand the reasons for the higher premiums. After all, 38 percent of those surveyed are considering changing their health insurance due to the premium increase. When it comes to communication, too, private health insurers seem to have some catching up to do: 40 percent of private health insurance customers say that the premium increase was not justified or that they cannot remember an explanation.
Private health insurance is often too vague when it comes to premium increases
Consumer advocates have long criticized that private health insurers in particular pay too little attention to understandable customer communication. Customer letters, contracts or notifications of changes are often difficult to understand or formulated in a vague manner. The reasons for premium increases often remain vague, which is increasingly creating skepticism among the insured. For example, PKV customers took their private health insurance to court years ago because they questioned the legality of the premium increases. This legal dispute even went as far as the Federal Court of Justice (BGH).
Consumer advocates: Transparency is essential
“It is astonishing that the insurance companies have apparently not yet received the fact that transparent communication in dealing with customers is now indispensable,” says lawyer Florian SO Rosing from der BRR consumer law firm Baumeister Rosing. »The companies not only gamble away trust, but also often disregard existing laws. It is therefore not surprising to us that more and more people are seeking advice from consumer advocates and taking legal action. ”
BGH rulings: PKV contribution increases ineffective if not adequately explained
In December 2020, the BGH provided more clarity in the case of the comprehensibility of private health insurance premium increases. The Karlsruhe judges ruled in two cases of AXA Versicherung (Az .: IV ZR 294/19 and IV ZR 314/19) that premium increases in private health insurance are ineffective if they are not in accordance with Section 203 (5) of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG). are explained to the necessary and understandable extent. If this is the case, privately insured persons can get back the overpaid contributions.
Contribution increases: Private health insurance must comply with laws
“We know that the insurers are not exercising the necessary care, especially with the letters of appreciation,” says lawyer Rosing. »In the past there were always serious deficiencies in terms of transparency and information content – at all insurers. With the current BGH ruling behind them, those with private health insurance can now get back any money they have paid too much. As a consumer law firm, we support you in this. Because the more private health insurance customers assert their claims, the greater the pressure on insurance companies to adhere to existing laws. ”
PKV repayments in the four-digit range are possible
“In addition, many private health insurance customers are already struggling with sometimes very high premiums and thus a heavy financial burden,” continues Rosing. “Just recently, numerous companies have increased their contributions significantly, sometimes in the double-digit percentage range. We are checking whether the insured can claim back money from ineffective premium increases from the past ten years. Repayments in the four-digit range are possible – many cannot and do not want to do without the money. ”
Act now!
Do you also have private health insurance and want to check whether you can claim back money from ineffective premium increases? Then we’ll help from the BRR consumer law firm Baumeister Rosing You are happy to continue. On www.baumeister-rosing.de/private-krankenversicherung/ you can easily and conveniently do the free online check from home to see whether your insurance is affected. In a free initial consultation, we will then clarify your options with you. You can also call us on 030/22 01 23 80, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. We make ourselves strong for you!
–
