Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin on Wednesday to protest the proposed cuts to reimbursement rates for psychotherapy services. This demonstration occurred just one day after the announcement by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) regarding further significant savings in the healthcare sector.
The so-called “Health Finance Committee” had among its proposals to end the “extra-budgetary reimbursement” for outpatient psychotherapeutic services as a measure to reduce costs in psychotherapy. Previously, the Assessment Committee had already decided to lower the fees by 4.5 percent, a cut that has been in effect since April 1st. Protest organizers stated that the uncertainty surrounding future adjustments to reimbursement rates further complicates long-term planning and jeopardizes the guarantee and quality of care.
During her presentation on Tuesday, Warken outlined the general outlines of her statutory health insurance savings package. On one hand, future increases in prices and reimbursements are intended to be linked to revenue development, while on the other hand, expenditures for insured persons must demonstrate a “provable benefit”. While Warken aims to implement 80 percent of the commission’s proposals presented at the end of March, many details remain unclear.
