ARTARTABANA societies have established local, regional and national solidarity funds. The funds make it possible to provide financial assistance in cases of need caused by illness or accident of any kind.
ARTABANA members have no legal claim to financial assistance. In cases of need they may petition for and receive solidarity support benefits. In cases of illness with major financial consequences, the society, i.e. its members, naturally respond in concert in a spirit of solidarity to assist the affected member by providing financial support.

What allows ARTABANA to operate so inexpensively?

How is it possible for ARTABANA Deutschland Solidargemeinschaft e.V. to provide benefits comparable with national health plan and private health insurance benefits when members’ solidarity contributions are relatively low?

In relation to average benefits received under private health insurance, solidarity fund contributions are low, although the contribution level is financially viable due to the particular structure of the ARTABANA organisation. Members act in a cost-conscious manner, and 20% of members are additionally covered under the national health plan or private health insurance. Administrative costs are extremely low, as this work is performed on a volunteer basis. The time spent by Artabana members in cultivating social relationships itself represents a substantial health investment in prevention.

Approximately 1 million euros in reserves are required in addition to existing fund assets to be able to absorb very large claims once every 200 years (meeting the 99.5% minimum reserves requirement for insurers under Solvency II).

Currently ARTABANA Deutschland Solidargemeinschaft e.V. holds approximately 2.25 million euros in reserves across all 135 of its constituent chapters. The national general solidarity fund holds assets of 100,000 euros. In exceptional cases, 20% of local chapters’ solidarity fund deposits may be appropriated to the national solidarity fund. Accordingly, the general fund's assets can be increased by 450,000 euros at short notice.

Here is where the special mode of organisation of our assistance society comes into play: funds are not concentrated centrally, being instead principally available to the individual chapters. Most chapters maintain accounts at our primary banking partner, GLS-Gemeinschaftsbank (www.gls.de). Local chapters submit annual financial statements and financial planning reports to the treasurer of ARTABANA Deutschland Solidargemeinschaft e.V. Additionally, our regular contact with GLS-Bank allows us to rapidly obtain data on changes occurring across chapters (such as an above-average number of need instances).

Even in the event of very large claims member contributions will not necessarily increase, as the memorandum of association provides that all chapters have the option of making a one-time additional contribution.

In recent years, 3 - 5 financial assistance petitions on average for healthcare need cases have been filed by individual chapters with the general ARTABANA Deutschland Solidargemeinschaft e.V. support fund. The chapters were able to fund assistance benefits for all other need cases either on their own or with support from neighbouring regional groups.