On 17 February 2010 the Bundeskartellamt initiated proceedings against nine health insurance funds of the statutory health insurance system.  It is investigating suspicions that the funds have violated the Act against Restraints of Competition by jointly announcing at the end of January that they intend to charge additional contributions from their insurants.
The subject of the administrative proceedings is to determine whether the setting and announcement of the additional charges were the result of illegal cartel agreements.  The Bundeskartellamt is not examining whether the announced additional charges are appropriate. 
The health insurance funds have been served formal decisions requesting information which they have to reply to within three weeks.