The German government wants to require patients with statutory health insurance to obtain a referral from a general practitioner before visiting a specialist in the future, as reported by Tagesspiegel, citing a study by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK).
According to the TK, the current voluntary model of the GP referral requirement brings almost only disadvantages. The study shows that this approach is more expensive than the previous system without a referral requirement.
The TK warns of higher costs for the statutory health insurance if the requirement is introduced. The insurance company did not initially disclose the exact figures from the study.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
