Germany: Organisation Germany: Organisation
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The following five branches of social insurance exist in Germany:
The statutory pension insurance is divided into the pension insurance for white-collar workers, the pension insurance for manual workers and the pension insurance for miners (mining industry). The following organisations are the respectively competent insurance funds: the Federal Insurance Institution for White-Collar Workers (Bundesversicherungsanstalt für Angestellte) for white-collar employees, the insurance institutions of the Länder (Landesversicherungsanstalten) for manual workers, the Railways' Insurance Institution (Bahnversicherungsanstalt) for the manual workers of the German Railway, the Seamen's Fund (Seekasse) for seamen, and the Federal Insurance Institution (Bundesknappschaft) for Miners.
The statutory sickness insurance is in the hands of roughly 800 insurance funds, some of which operate regionally (local funds, Ortskrankenkassen) and some of which operate at a national level (e.g most of the substitute funds, Ersatzkassen). These funds are open to all members regardless of occupation or employment in a company. (Exceptions are occupational funds such as the Bundesknappschaft for miners, the Seekrankenkasse for seamen and the landwirtschaftliche Krankenkassen for farmers. Apart from a few special categories (e.g. civil servants, judges, soldiers) all employees are subject to compulsory insurance, unless they are engaged in minor employment or the remuneration is above the annual assessment ceiling.
The sickness insurance funds administer the collection of the overall social insurance contributions for all branches.
On 1 January 1995 statutory long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) was introduced in order to cover the risk of need for long-term care. Since 1 January 1995 each statutory sickness insurance fund has established a long-term care insurance fund which is responsible for granting benefits to beneficiaries who are in need of long-term care. All persons who are members of a statutory sickness insurance fund are covered against the risk of need for long-term care in the same fund. Persons with private sickness insurance coverage must correspondingly conclude a private long-term care insurance contract.
The relevant organisations are the insurance funds of the professional corporations (Berufsgenossenschaften) and the insurance funds at the federal and Länder level for manual and white-collar workers of the public service.
The following categories of persons are covered: employees, certain self-employed persons, pupils and students, children in kindergartens, persons undergoing rehabilitation and certain other persons.
Unemployment insurance is implemented by the Federal Labour Institution. It is divided into the main office, the labour offices of the Länder regional and the local labour offices.
All employees are covered (manual workers, white-collar workers, trainees including young disabled persons).
The individual branches of social insurance are self-governed by representative's meetings and board meetings or administrative boards which consist of the same number of representatives of the employers and the persons insured. In the field of unemployment insurance representatives of the public sector are included as a third party. The self-administration of substitute funds consists only of the representatives of the persons insured.
As regards supervision the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is responsible for the branches of (old-age and invalidity) pension, accident and unemployment insurance. The Federal Ministry of Health is responsible for statutory sickness insurance and long-term care insurance. As regards the competence of the supervisory authorities it is decisive whether the insurance fund is a Länder or a federal institution.
An insurance fund qualifies as a Land institution when its responsibilities do not extend beyond its Land. Furthermore, a fund whose responsibilities touch over onto other Länder, but do not exceed three is also to be considered a Land institution, provided the Länder involved stipulate one supervising Land. In such a case, supervision falls under the responsibility of the highest social insurance administrative body at a Länder level, or the authority stipulated by the Land's legislation. This is also the case for associations at a Länder level. In all other cases, the insurance fund qualifies as a federal institution. (examples of which are the Bundesknappschaft and the Seekasse). Supervision falls under the responsibility of the federal insurance administration (Bundesversicherungsamt).
Apart from the mentioned social insurance branches there are public social assistance, different family benefits and housing benefit.
BUNDESMINISTERIUM FÜR ARBEIT
UND SOZIALORDNUNG
Postfach 14 02 80
D-53107 Bonn
BUNDESMINISTERIUM FÜR FAMILIE,
SENIOREN, FRAUEN UND JUGEND
Postfach 12 06 09
D-53048 Bonn
BUNDESMINISTERIUM FÜR GESUNDHEIT
D-53108 Bonn
BUNDESMINISTERIUM FÜR VERKEHR, BAU- UND WOHNUNGSWESEN
Postfach 20 50 01
D-53170 Bonn
BUNDESVERSICHERUNGSANSTALT
FÜR ANGESTELLTE
D-10704 Berlin
BUNDESANSTALT FÜR ARBEIT
D-90327 Nürnberg
BUNDESVERSICHERUNGSAMT
D-10785 Berlin
HAUPTVERBAND DER GEWERBLICHEN
BERUFSGENOSSENSCHAFTEN E.V.
Alte Heerstraße 111
D-53757 St. Augustin
AOK-BUNDESVERBAND
Postfach 20 03 44
D-53170 Bonn