• Only less than half of privately insured people use the app

  • Simplicity in the submission and reimbursement of invoices essential

Munich, 28 April 2023. Insured who use the app of their private health insurance are more satisfied with their insurance than those who do not use an app, according to a result of the current YouGov study* commissioned by Gini, a provider of payment solutions for end users.
A total of 39 % of those with private health insurance are very satisfied with their insurance. The use of the private health insurance app increases the proportion of very satisfied customers by almost 20 %, as 50 % of app users describe themselves as very satisfied, compared to only 31.8 % of non-users. More than half of the respondents have downloaded the app offered by their insurance company: 60 % of privately insured people in Germany have a health insurance app on their smartphone or tablet, but only 43 % actually use it. In the 35 to 44 age group, it is more than one in two (54 %) who make use of it. In the age group of 25-34 year-olds, which is considered to be particularly digitally affined, 48 % use a corresponding app.
“The usage figures for private health insurance apps show that there is still a lot of potential here. Especially with a view to the satisfaction of the insured, it is advantageous for insurance companies to invest even more in the use and design of the app in order to score points with existing and new customers,”, says Holger Teske, CEO and co-founder of Gini.

Simplicity in the submission and reimbursement process is the most important

The reimbursement process for medical bills, among other things, is time-consuming and administratively complex for privately insured persons in contrast to persons with statutory insurance: They must first pay the bill themselves and then submit it to their insurance company in a separate process. Since submitting receipts is essential for this form of billing, various criteria play an important role. The priority for those with private health insurance is the simplicity of submitting receipts and invoices – as 37 % said. In second place with 25 % is the speed of the process. This is followed by the quick accessibility and availability of the case handler with 16 %. With 11.2 %, the processing status is in 4th place, and with 10.7 %, the comprehensibility and preparation of the information as to why something was not reimbursed are in 5th place.

Frequently used functions in the health insurance app

Insurance apps from private health insurers offer various functions that insured persons can use. Most frequently, respondents use them to submit receipts and bills, at 94 %, followed by personal data management at 75 %. At 68 %, apps are used for a tariff overview and also to view contract documents, for example. Younger generations are more likely to use the app to its full extent: compared to the over 45s, the 18 to 44-year-olds also use it more frequently to search for doctors and telemedical consultations or digital health guides. In addition, however, they also want to find out about insurance.

Important additional functions of the insurance app for users

75 % of private health insurance app users rate a better overview of submitted bills as a valuable function. 70 % value the possibility of adjusting master data, such as address or telephone number, and 65 % value an automatic calculation of the favourability check as such. Slightly more than half (52 %) see this for the payment of bills directly from the private health insurance app.

“The survey shows that apps are used by private health insurers in many ways, including bureaucratic processes,” adds Teske. “It is important to users that communication and processes are simple and time-saving. They want uncomplicated, fast and clear processes”

The white paper on the study is available for download here.

*Source: The data used is based on an online survey by YouGov Deutschland GmbH in which 6,600 Germans participated between 20 and 30 March 2023, including 1,010 people with private health insurance. The results were weighted and are representative of the population in Germany aged 18 and over.