Promote alternative conceptsChief health insurance physician must defend himself against new practice costs
Do training fees come back? The German Minister of Health implemented this as a “control instrument”. However, the Association of Compulsory Health Insurance Doctors and statutory health insurance companies reject this idea.
The chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, does not believe in the reintroduction of practice fees: “‘Reimbursed practice fees’, as we did some 20 years ago, did put money into the treasury, but in the previous way it would have been very bureaucratic and would have been almost useless as an instrument of control,” Gassen told the “Rheinische Post”.
On the other hand, the KBV boss reiterated his call for an optional rate for compulsory health insurance patients: “As an alternative, we can imagine a different optional rate. If the patient allows himself to be guided through the health system, he can pay a lower contribution rate.
This is not about wanting to withhold services from the public, but rather a question of whether patients want to be controlled and this will then be respected.” Control also ensures judicious use of increasingly scarce resources in the healthcare system.
The Federal Health Minister announced the reintroduction of the fees on Tuesday. “This won’t work without some kind of control element,” said the CDU politician. On the other hand, bonuses can also be given to patients who first consult with their family doctor before seeing a specialist.
The umbrella association of mandatory health insurance (GKV) is also cautious about implementing practice fees: “We spend more than a billion euros per day on care. In my opinion, that is enough without incurring new additional costs, such as practice fees, which in themselves do not improve the service,” said Oliver Blatt, chairman of the board of the GKV umbrella association.
“Discussions regarding higher financial burdens for patients should, if they exist, be placed at the end of the discussion. First of all, we must take a firm approach to the structure,” continued Blatt. This includes increasing the provision of inpatient services in specialty clinics and curbing price explosions for new medicines.
