The proposal by the Federal Drug Commissioner, Hendrik Streeck (CDU), advocating for patient co-payments for medical visits has sparked a range of reactions from healthcare organizations, highlighting differing perspectives on the future of Germany’s healthcare system.
Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis, Vice-Chair of the GKV-Spitzenverband (the peak association of statutory health insurance funds), expressed skepticism about the approach, arguing that systemic issues within the healthcare network shouldn’t be addressed by increasing patient contributions. She emphasized the substantial financial strain already impacting hospitals, with projected expenditures exceeding last year by approximately ten billion euros. Instead of pursuing structural reforms and modernizing outdated systems, she observed a political push to reverse planned hospital reforms. As an immediate solution, the GKV-Spitzenverband proposes an expenditure moratorium, linking health insurance fund spending to revenue levels.
Conversely, Andreas Gassen, Chairman of the Federal Association of Statutory Health Physicians (KBV), suggests a re-evaluation of funding models is necessary. He indicated that discussions regarding supplementary financing options, including co-payment and patient contribution models, are unavoidable. Gassen also raised concerns about a significant portion of the workforce – over three million individuals – who are currently not employed and the financial burden their healthcare utilization places on the statutory health insurance system. He argued that these costs shouldn’t be borne solely by contributing members.
