President of Physicians Klaus Reinhardt has called for more time for the reform of statutory health insurance during the German Medical Congress in Hanover. He emphasized that such a far-reaching law should not be hastily passed. According to Reinhardt, it is essential to examine the proposed measures for their impact on patient care.
Reinhardt expressed his views to the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) and stated: "A law of this magnitude cannot be pushed through with brute force." The Federal Ministry of Health plans to present the draft law to the Bundestag for discussion in June and aims to pass it before the summer break.
The necessity to stabilize the finances of statutory health insurance is beyond question, according to Reinhardt. However, he insisted that all parties involved need sufficient time to analyze the effects of the reform.
The savings package from Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) is expected to be a central topic of the Medical Congress. The law aims to relieve the health funds by 16.3 billion euros next year, which will also entail cuts for insured individuals.
Jens Baas, head of the Techniker Krankenkasse, warned of potential coercion by the pharmaceutical industry and criticized the inadequate coverage for citizens receiving basic income. He called for a balanced consideration of medically necessary care.
