German family physician associations have launched a nationwide protest campaign against the planned cuts outlined in the statutory health insurance contributions stabilization law. The organizations announced this on Wednesday. The primary action of the campaign is an email initiative, allowing patients to directly contact their federal parliament members. Nearly 50,000 family practice offices are being provided with informational material to support this effort.
Nicola Buhlinger-Göpfarth, the Federal Chair of the Family Physician Association, described the statutory health insurance savings law as “the biggest political threat to family doctor care of the last two decades”. According to her, the planned cuts are arbitrary and dangerous, threatening the very foundation of primary care. The potential consequences include fewer clinics, diminished quality of care, and longer waiting times for patients. The campaign aims to make it clear to Members of Parliament that both doctors and patients reject these measures.
The law is currently in the parliamentary process. Among its provisions is a service cap (Versorgungsbremse) for family-doctor-centered care. Furthermore, the government plans to partially reverse the decoupling of certain family physician services, and also cut funding for organ donation counseling and compensation for populating electronic patient files.
Markus Blumenthal-Beier, who also chairs the association, specifically criticized the service cap and the planned withdrawal of the decoupled funding. He called on the federal government to review these points. He stated that in the coming weeks, they will apply “massive pressure” to achieve revisions, with support from patients.
