Arbeitsplätze und Beschäftigungswirkungen im und durch das System der Privaten Krankenversicherung (PKV): Kommentierter Literatur-Review unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Transformationsmodellen zur Bürgerversicherung[Jobs and employment impact in and by the private health insurance system: Annotated literature review with special regard to transformation models to a “Bürgerversicherung” (single-payer system)]

This paper offers a systematic literature review about jobs and related employment impacts in and by the system of private health insurance (Private Krankenversicherung, PKV). The available literature shows the varying evaluation of private health insurance’s relevance for labor policy depending on emphasis, perspective, methodology and delineation in use. The estimated employment impact of the private health insurance field as insurance carrier and as financier of health care services are complex. Therefore, the number of affected jobs of numerous transformation scenarios to a single-payer system which are discussed by political stakeholders would be substantial. Employment trade-offs in the private health insurance field as insurance carrier are explicitly regarded as unrealistic in current research literature. Neither the expansion of supplementary insurance business in the private health insurance nor employment creation in the statutory health insurance system seems expectable. Additionally, private health insurance companies might refuse to enter the single-payer system-market because of little prospect for success. That would parallel a “cold start” in an unknown and already fully occupied market. Employment impacts through a loss of funding for health care services could be compensated if the financing share of private patients doesn’t lead to a financial loss for health care service providers. In return, that would result in an increase of contribution rate by 1.5 contribution rate points as pointed out in the literature.