The annual negotiation of the fees chargeable by hospitals and doctors is and remains one of the central tasks of Austrian private health insurance. Under UNIQA’s leadership, these negotiations were concluded successfully with all contract parties once again for the year 2010. In view of the very low inflation rate and the relatively moderate cost of labour developments, it was generally possible to keep the conceded price increases at a very moderate level. In line with this, the premium adjustments for the insured were also lower than in previous years. However, this pleasant fact will naturally lead to somewhat lower growth in health insurance in 2010.
Of course, the development of the health insurance business will also be affected by the general economic situation. In this regard, 2010 so far appears to be a difficult year with continued increases in unemployment. On the other hand, the awareness of the need for private provisions in healthcare is certainly on the rise. For this reason, UNIQA expects demand and cancellations rates to remain stable.
This continuous development should be supported by the introduction of a new product for nursing care insurance in spring of 2010. The demand for serious insurance offers in this area in particular will increase significantly in the coming years. Another area of focus will be promoting the innovative offers in the area of prevention. UNIQA is so far the only insurance company with products that not only support a healthy lifestyle through concrete service benefits like VitalCoaching but also recognise it in the form of premium reimbursements. For corporate customers, the activities of the Business Health Management (BGM) programme are being further intensified and will also be financially supported. All of this is taking place against the background of a deep belief that the cost explosion associated with the increasing number of “diseases of civilisation” can only be counteracted through consistent promotion of health.
The central goal is keeping premiums affordable in the face of rising life expectancy, improved medical possibilities and lifestyle-related cost increases. For this reason, an additional emphasis for this year will be on promoting the product “Future Bonus”, which can help significantly reduce premiums from the age of 65 and older.
Under the auspices of the Association of Austrian Insurance Companies, a major project was kicked off at the start of 2010 that UNIQA will be working on during the coming years – presumably over the long term. Specifically, it involves developing quality criteria for medical treatment in cooperation with contract partners and making these criteria transparent to the customers while also using them as the basis for a differentiated fee structure. This should lead overall to a better decision-making basis for customers and incentives for further quality improvements by the medical contract partners.
A look outside the borders of Austria also shows how the activities begun in the area of health insurance during past years are bearing fruit. In Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Albania and Ukraine, UNIQA is achieving attractive growth rates despite a sometimes difficult environment. To further support these activities, a second UNIQA VitalTruck has been ordered and should go into service in autumn of 2010. In many of the countries listed, out-patient medical care is guaranteed by out-patient clinics. The VitalTruck will be a kind of out-patient clinic on wheels – with the advantage that it travels directly to corporate customers, making it possible to offer the care much more efficiently. The truck will also be designed with an attractive and eye-catching appearance to make it a good symbol for “The insurance of a new generation”.
Good future prospects exist in Germany for Mannheimer Krankenversicherung, a member of the UNIQA Group. After the change in government, a more sympathetic or at least a more stable regulatory environment can be expected. The small subsidiary in Geneva was able to extend the health insurance management contract with CERN and acquired another important international organisation as a customer in the form of the United Nations.
