21 Health insurers

Health insurers should become involved in municipal activity
programmes and take full advantage of opportunities to support
them within the framework of preventive care. Municipalities
should be involved in the planning of programmes by
the health insurers.

Health insurers also recognise exercise as a pillar in programmes for
health promotion. Although this mostly takes place within the
scope of prevention, health insurance schemes in Europe can clearly
feel the impact of overweight which is often also caused by a lack
of exercise: 6% of health costs in the EU is due to overweight and
one in every four children in the EU is overweight or obese.

Therefore, there are many interfaces between the interests of the
health insurers and the municipalities. Statutory regulations do not
allow health insurers to engage in the promotion of physical exercise
among children in all EU countries. However, it is apparent that
the existing options are not used to their full advantage.

How can the health insurers make a contribution at a
municipal level?

1. Conceptional participation
Health insurers develop concepts customised to a certain regional /
local environment. The concepts can be better tailored if the
municipalities are involved in the planning.

2. Financial participation
The extensive and intensive promotion of physical activity among
children can only succeed if joint solutions can be found both in
the implementation and in the financing.

3. Cooperation in implementation
The intensity and effectiveness of measures can be increased if there
is cooperation between the health insurers and municipalities and
other institutions. Inefficient “island approaches” can be reduced.

4. Local networking
To increase local coordination and cooperation the health insurers
should participate in round table discussions on the promotion of
physical activity among children or aim at networking with the relevant
institutions.

Best Practice Hoyerswerda (DE)

MAKE CHILDREN FIT

Day-care centers in Hoyerswerda and region are reached
with the programme. By use of full-time sports educators
children receive regular physical activity education. Special
about this programme is that 80 – 100 % of its costs are
financed by health insurance companies. ‘Make children fit’
won the German Prevention Award 2007.

More information:
www.citiesforsports.eu/best-practice