Der ökonomische Fußabdruck der Privaten Krankenversicherung in Deutschland. Quantifizierung der volkswirtschaftlichen Bedeutung der PKV im Kontext der Gesundheitswirtschaftlichen Gesamtrechnung (GGR) des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi)[The economic footprint of private health insurance in Germany]

The health economy today plays a central role in many areas of society. This development is evidenced, not least, by the increased perception of the health economy as a key economic factor in Germany. On this basis, many sub-sectors of the industry, such as the industrial health economy, are experiencing mounting social and political attention from an economic perspective. In this connection, health insurance, an important segment of the health economy, has so far been the subject of only a small number of academic studies. This study therefore aims to examine the importance, in economic and employment policy terms, of private health insurance as a key player in the health economy in the context of the German economy at large. Its importance will be quantified on the basis of the economic contribution that private health insurance makes to economic growth and the labour market. The answer to this question augments the current (academic) debate about the health economy generally as well as its individual players. The analysis places particular emphasis on the significance of these economic activities to German society and ultimately also to German gross domestic product (GDP). The design of this study builds on numerous research projects conducted by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. These studies demonstrate that the health economy is one of the largest industries in Germany, accounting for roughly 12 percent of GDP in 2015. At the same time, just under one in six employed persons in Germany were employed in this industry, which also generates over 7 percent of Germany’s total exports. Taking as its basis the aforementioned research projects of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, this study entitled “The economic footprint of private health insurance in Germany” is the first of its kind to depict private health insurance as an economic player with-in the health economy and, building on this, to quantify the direct, indirect and induced contribution private health insurance makes to growth and employment in Germany. This macroeconomic perspective constitutes an important step towards a comprehensive analysis of health economy players within a value chain of care. The recording of the individual contributions and, in particular, the interconnections between players such as the private health insurers and other industries allows quantitative arguments to be put forward in order to overcome the prevailing silo mentality of the individual actors in the health economy.