Germans pay ever more for health care

Germans are paying an ever higher annual sum towards the cost of their health care but the country's health service is increasingly being seen as a major creator of jobs and growth promoter in the national economy.

The federal statistical office, the SBA, has estimated the total health care bill for Germans and their health funds in 2006 at 245.0 billion euros ($379.28 billion), a rise of 2.4% over the previous year. This means that per capita health spending was 2,970 euros - 70 euros higher than the previous year. Health spending now accounts for nearly 11% of Gross Domestic Product, but still lags behind France and Switzerland.

While 57%, or 140.0 billion euros, of health spending for 2006 was down to the health funds - 3% up on the previous year - the level of spending on health in private households increased by 3.4% but has remained virtually unchanged as a proportion of total health spending, 14%, or 33.3 billion euros. Private health insurance accounts for almost 10% of total health care spending, or 22.5 billion euros.