Doctors and clinic representatives demand a “contact fee” for sufferers – as much as 40 euros can be due | EUROtoday

The statutory medical insurance physicians in Germany are proposing the introduction of a brand new price for sufferers for each go to to the physician. “Instead of a practice fee, there could be a contact fee as a co-payment for doctor visits in the future,” mentioned the chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, to “Bild”.

“It could be three or four euros, as in Japan for example, and should be collected by the health insurance companies.” In this manner, the income base of the medical insurance corporations will be elevated. Gassen emphasised that the charges have to be “designed in a socially acceptable manner so that no one is overburdened”.

The employers’ affiliation BDA additionally proposed a “contact fee” in the summertime, however didn’t identify a certain amount. In doing so, employers needed to curb so-called physician hopping, i.e. a number of and pointless visits to medical doctors for a similar drawback. The basic practitioner affiliation and affected person representatives then rejected the “contact fee” as anti-social.

30 to 40 euros further for a go to to the emergency room

The German Hospital Society (DKG) additionally spoke out in favor of upper affected person contributions. The DKG board chairman Gerald Gaß instructed “Bild” that the extra cost for hospital stays needs to be doubled from ten to twenty euros per day. “That’s appropriate,” mentioned Gaß. This brings the medical insurance corporations a further round 800 million euros per yr.

According to Gaß, sufferers who go to hospital emergency facilities sooner or later with out prior phone recommendation also needs to be requested to pay. “Anyone who uses the emergency centers at hospitals in the future without contacting and advising the control center should pay a fee. I think 30 to 40 euros is appropriate,” he mentioned.

The black-red federal authorities needs to sort out a reform of statutory medical insurance within the new yr. The goal is to restrict the current, more and more speedy improve in spending on care and to keep away from additional will increase in contributions. A fee of consultants is anticipated to current proposals for stabilization from 2027 by March. Further reform proposals ought to observe by the tip of 2026.