{
  "id": 16909618,
  "title": "Private Krankenversicherung: Höhere Beiträge für Privatversicherte: So stark unterscheiden sich die Kosten bei den Anbietern",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/private-krankenversicherung-hohere-beitrage-fur-privatversicherte-so",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-28T14:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/versicherung-so-stark-unterscheiden-sich-die-beitragserhoehungen-in-der-pkv/100263445.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Millionen Privatversicherte in Deutschland werden im nächsten Jahr höhere Krankenversicherungsbeiträge zahlen. According to data from the Private Krankenversicherung Association, 53 percent of full-insured individuals will face higher contributions when the year turns. The average increase in premiums for affected individuals is 13.4 percent, attributed to rising healthcare expenditures. Private health and nursing insurance companies spent a total of 42.1 billion euros on services last year, which is 7.2 percent more than the previous year. Hospital treatments and medications notably cost them significantly more. However, the extent to which premiums rise varies among insurers. The Handelsblatt reached out to several major private health insurers, but most declined to comment. Debeka, the market leader with around 700,000 customers, is one exception. For those affected, premiums will increase by an average of 6.7 percent. The rise only affects two tariffs, which had not been adjusted since early 2026. Overall, an average increase of 2.9 percent is projected across all insured individuals. Around 85 percent of full-insured individuals with Barmenia Gothaer must adjust their contributions, totaling approximately 375,000 people, including 280,000 at Barmenia and 95,000 at Gothaer. Premiums for the affected insured will rise on average by about eleven percent. The exact amount each customer pays depends on their specific contract. Neither Debeka nor Barmenia Gothaer provide a specific amount for additional payments. An evaluation by the Cologne insurance broker HC Consulting sheds light on price developments for other providers. The company, specializing in private health insurance, examines how much insurers plan to raise premiums next year. Axa expects an average increase of 11.72 percent, Gothaer 9.02 percent, Universa 6.58 percent, and Inter 6.24 percent. Lower values are found for Allianz (4.92 percent), Barmenia (4.12 percent), and R+V (2.19 percent). The Landeskrankenhilfe (state health care) is projected to have a 5.11 percent increase. Some major insurers only have preliminary figures. Signal Iduna is estimated to have a 6.6 percent rise, while DKV anticipates about five percent. However, these numbers cannot be directly compared. HC Consulting calculates averages based on specific tariffs and age groups, including reductions, and combines this with other data. The number of insured people in each tariff is not considered. Health economist David Matusiewicz of FOM in Dortmund warns against drawing premature conclusions. He explains that such evaluations are useful for an initial hint at premium developments but not a reliable ranking of private health insurers. Individual highly-priced adjustments can heavily influence the result, making the distortion risk significant. For a reliable comparison, the values should be weighted by the number of insured individuals. The PKV association generally finds the results plausible, but the significant differences between companies could be due to various factors. Some insurers may have raised premiums earlier in the previous year, reducing the impact of 2027 adjustments. The rising healthcare costs are evident in the PKV association's figures for 2025. Private insurers increased expenditures by 7.45 percent on general hospital services compared to the previous year. They paid about eight percent more for medications and nearly six point six percent for specialized treatments like physiotherapy. Ambulance doctor visits rose by six percent. Politically, there is growing pressure to address the rising costs. CSU health policy expert Stephan Pilsinger told the Handelsblatt that while the contribution development is justified, models such as patient control and primary care should also be discussed to keep costs for insured people within an acceptable range in the long term. He advocates for stricter regulation of larger premium increases among private insurers.",
  "summary": "Millionen Privatversicherte müssen sich auf höhere Beiträge einstellen. Wie stark die Kosten steigen, unterscheidet sich je nach Anbieter erheblich.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}