The SPD dismissed the warnings from Andreas Gassen, head of the Medical Association (KBV), regarding long waiting times for specialist appointments, attributing these potential issues to possible cost-saving measures in the healthcare system. Furthermore, the parliamentary group criticized Gassen’s comment dismissing the SPD’s proposal for appointment guarantees as “nonsense”. Christos Pantazis, the SPD’s health policy spokesperson, told the “Welt” that the remarks from the KBV chief were “untenable and clearly self-interested”. Pantazis argued that predicting generalized waiting times of “50 days or more” amounted to fear-mongering rather than problem-solving, and consciously diverted attention from the actual causes: a lack of proper coordination, flawed incentives, and inefficient use of existing capacity. Pantazis also noted a “central contradiction” in Gassen’s argument: “On one hand, Mr. Gassen himself states that only a small fraction of cases are medically urgent-yet, on the other hand, he paints a picture of a widespread care problem”.
Pantazis also reinforced the demand made by SPD parliamentary leader Matthias Miersch for an appointment guarantee, stating that “a system that continues to generate average waiting times of around 42 days, despite rising costs, does not need more money distributed indiscriminately, but finally needs better management”. According to the social democrat, the crucial element is ensuring appointments are issued only when “medically necessary and sensible”.
Pantazis criticized Gassen’s tone toward Miersch as “disrespectful and revealing”. He argued that an appointment guarantee is not “nonsense” but rather an expression of the patient’s legitimate right to reliable and timely care. The SPD stated that it would not be guided by “particular interests” or “threats” when stabilizing the statutory health insurance fund. He warned that anyone arguing about longer waiting times to defend their own economic interests risks “effectively taking patients hostage”.
The CDU also expressed criticism of Gassen’s statements. Susanne Borchardt, the CDU’s health policy spokesperson, remarked, “The current debate regarding the GKV Finance Commission’s proposals is characterized by escalations and an attempt to point out everything that isn’t working. That does not help at all right now”. She added that those who reflexively paint problems often defend their own departments rather than looking at the entire system. Borchardt announced, “We will need a package of measures that interlocks and develops the entire system to be sustainable”. The goal is a balanced legislative package that reliably secures care while visibly relieving citizens.
The Greens parliamentary group also criticized the KBV chief’s remarks. Health policy expert Janosch Dahmen told the “Welt” that Gassen’s warnings were primarily a “political bargaining chip from the medical professional association. It is dishonest to sow fear with the threat of artificial capacity shortages; it has little to do with medical responsibility”. He argued that predicting “widespread deterioration” essentially calls into question the sector’s own capacity. Dahmen suggested that if existing structures can no longer cope, hospitals must open up more to outpatient care. Dahmen also opposed the Miersch proposal: “A rigid appointment guarantee is insufficient. The decisive factor is not a politically set deadline, but care based on medical necessity”.
The AfD received support for the KBV chief in the Bundestag. Martin Sichert, the spokesperson responsible for health policy, stated, “Gassen is right. It is high time to abolish budgeting so that every treatment for a statutory patient is reimbursed”. He insisted, “Long waiting times already cost many lives. If one cuts costs with local practitioners now, they are killing patients”. Sichert rejected the idea of an appointment guarantee, calling it “a utopia that only leads to more bureaucracy”. He asserted that if budgeting and bureaucracy were abolished, doctors could treat more patients, and “waiting times would decrease automatically”.
