Philipp Türmer, the head of the Juso party, agreed with Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU that the unequal treatment of privately and publicly insured individuals constitutes a justice problem. While stating this is not often his position, Türmer added to RTL and ntv, “I have to say, he is right. Even a blind hen can find a grain of corn.”
Türmer emphasized that having a two-tiered health insurance system is a major societal issue in Germany. He pointed out the disparity: private insurance holders can often get an appointment “by snapping their fingers” the next day, while publicly insured individuals sometimes have to wait for months.
In response to the criticism, Merz reportedly suggested “citizen insurance” (“Bürgerversicherung”). The CDU politician outlined this concept as a shift to a unified system where everyone receives the same level of benefits, arguing that if every person is valued equally-and they are-then everyone deserves equally good medical care.
However, Türmer criticized a government spokesperson’s clarification that Merz was not proposing a merging of the systems, calling the statement contradictory. He said, “It is a little contradictory. That is sometimes the case with this Chancellor. I think he should stick to his initial statement that day.” Türmer concluded by stressing the urgent need for a just healthcare system and expressed confidence that the public would reward political efforts toward achieving this goal.
