The German federal audit office reports that, despite an additional 2.9 billion euros spent, there has been no improvement in the waiting times for medical appointments. It therefore calls for the abolition of the compensation rules set out in the Appointment Service and Care Act (Terminservice- und Versorgungsgesetz, TSVG).
According to a report addressed to the budget committee of the Bundestag on February 5, which POLITICO has reported on, health insurance funds had paid an extra 2.9 billion euros until mid‑2024 in order to give insured people better access to medical care. The existing evaluation, however, could not confirm such an impact. Instead, the report notes that average waiting times had actually increased by about a week.
Health minister Nina Warken (CDU) plans, according to the report, to review the TSVG only after the introduction of a primary care system. The audit office says this approach is too late; unnecessary funds would continue to be spent until then. The law originally aimed to allow patients covered by statutory health insurance to obtain appointments more quickly. Since its enactment in 2019, doctors have been receiving additional compensation for a number of appointment types. Yet the average waiting time for a specialist appointment for statutory insured patients rose from 33 days in 2019 to 42 days in 2024.
