Heidi Reichinnek, the leader of the Left party group in the Bundestag, has sharply criticized the actions of both the CDU/CSU and the SPD regarding the healthcare insurance reform. Speaking to the news portal “T-Online,” Reichinnek argued that the process is “complete madness” when 279 pages of amendments, some concerning billions of euros, are presented so abruptly, especially when the government itself cannot manage to present all its planned changes before the final vote.
According to Reichinnek, such a rush makes a proper, objective review impossible-and perhaps unwanted. She explained that this hurried procedure makes it extremely difficult for insured persons and healthcare workers to thoroughly evaluate the most severe reduction reform in decades before it is adopted by the Bundestag. She further asserted that if the federal government appears uninterested in the views of those affected, it represents a massive democratic failure.
Reichinnek claimed that the federal government is attempting to force a law through the Bundestag, despite its obviously catastrophic consequences for healthcare provision, specifically to prevent the public from having the opportunity to engage with it and object. “We cannot let this happen,” she stated.
Consequently, Reichinnek also reported that Ates Gürpinar, the healthcare economist spokesperson for the Left faction, has filed a complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court, requesting a halt to the second and third readings of the bill until after the summer recess.
