Health system: abolition of voluntary statutory medical health insurance advantages? Health insurance coverage firms criticize “sham debate” | EUROtoday

The chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, is encountering appreciable resistance together with his demand for reductions in advantages from the statutory medical health insurance firms (GKV). Gassen had advised abolishing voluntary companies corresponding to reimbursement for homeopathic treatments, well being programs or health trackers.

Gassen accuses medical health insurance firms of providing such “nice-to-have” companies primarily for advertising and marketing functions. According to the KVB chairman, the whole abolition of those voluntary advantages may save round one billion euros per 12 months.

The umbrella affiliation of statutory medical health insurance firms (GKV SV) sees Gassen’s demand as primarily a diversionary tactic. “The supposedly easy way of cutting benefits for insured people does not solve the fundamental problems of our health system,” mentioned a spokesman for the GKV SV WELT. “Such sham debates distract from the need for reform in the outpatient sector, in clinics and in the area of ​​pharmaceuticals.”

Criticism of Gassen’s initiative additionally comes from the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK). “In the financial debate, the discussion about benefit cuts is, in our opinion, not productive. There are numerous proposals to relieve the financial burden on the system with short-term measures without restricting benefits for insured persons,” mentioned TK WELT.

This consists of, for instance, growing the producer’s low cost on new drugs or eradicating the most-favored-nation clause in hospitals. “Before benefits for insured people are restricted, these measures must finally be implemented. We also need real reforms in the health system in order to use the available money more precisely. The finance commission that has been appointed should also make suggestions for this,” mentioned the TK.

The TK additionally proclaims that the statutory advantages of the medical health insurance firms are topic to sure standards. For instance, they shouldn’t be excluded from the Federal Joint Committee (G BA), amongst different issues, they need to meet high quality necessities and be economical. “We regularly review our statutory benefits with the aim of offering our insured persons real added value in terms of the range of services on offer,” says the TK.

For instance, TK insured folks may obtain a subsidy for skilled enamel cleansing and insured folks underneath 35 may additionally profit from pores and skin most cancers screening. In addition, the TK would contribute to the prices of synthetic insemination along with the usual advantages. “We are convinced that those with statutory health insurance benefit from the competition between health insurance companies for the best offer in terms of service, price and performance,” says the TK.

This article was written for the financial competence heart of WELT and “Business Insider Germany” created.

Andreas Macho is WELT enterprise reporter.