Erfurt (dpa/th) - Thuringia's Health Minister Heike Werner (left) has sharply criticized the federal government's plans to reform the financing of statutory health insurance. Instead of structural improvements, higher costs and a further increase in the additional contribution are to be expected, Werner said on Sunday in Erfurt. Not only patients are affected by the planned savings. Pharmacists, doctors and dentists would also be significantly burdened by the cuts.
"What is needed now is solidary financing by the health insurance companies, instead of even greater burdens for the citizens," demanded Werner. The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Thuringia (KVT) had previously warned that the austerity measures and inflation were endangering practices. The planned cancellation of the new patient regulation increases the economic pressure on many practices, which would be forced to cut back on their range of services.
To compensate for a deficit in the billions of euros in statutory health insurance in the coming year, the federal government is planning, among other things, a reduction in financial reserves at the health insurers, increases in efficiency, a contribution from the pharmaceutical industry and the elimination of extra fees for new patients in practices. In addition, the average additional contributions for the statutory health insurance funds are to rise by 0.3 percentage points in the coming year.
