Eight months after the death of his mother, a Tölzer post is received from her health insurance company DAK. The content: a juicy bill. Here the Tölzer describes the disturbing case.
- Gertraud Schallenkammer died of lung cancer.
- Shortly before her death, many trips to Tutzing to the palliative care unit were necessary.
- The terminally ill did not submit the bills for it. Now the DAK wants the money from the son .
Bad Tölz - Christian Schallenkammer describes himself as not exactly tender. Nevertheless, the Tölzer took off his shoes when he recently received a letter to his mother Gertraud - eight months after her death. The content of the letter from the DAK was also bizarre from Schallenkammer's point of view: the health insurance company refused to pay the trips of his terminally ill mother to her doctors.
Tölzer is supposed to pay for the transportation of the sick for the deceased mother - because she forgot to submit invoices
"I would have hoped that the DAK would refrain from all the formalism in the face of such a situation," says the Tölzer, referring to the suffering of his mother. Gertraud Schallenkammer suffered from lung cancer. "In the end it was so bad that she had to go to Tutzing for palliative care." Neither her son nor her daughter-in-law could drive her every time: both are employed. In the end, the taxi Much bill was just under 835 euros . After the mother's death, Christian Schallenkammer should pay this amount. "I'm not interested in money," he says. Schallenkammer wants to make public how cool and heartless the DAK treated his family. "If you can choose, you should think carefully about whether you want to be insured there."
Christian Schallenkammer
© arp
The fact that the health insurance company has recently relented and wants to pay for four out of six trips does not change his opinion. "Two of the trips requested could not be accepted because no medical prescription was presented for these trips," said DAK spokesman Stefan Wandel. On the basis of these regulations, the health insurance company decides before the start of the journey whether the costs for the patient transport will be borne or not. Subsequent approvals are not possible according to the legal framework.
Bad Tölz: Shortly before death, other things in your head than formalities
Such general regulations annoy Christian Schallenkammer. "When you know it's only a matter of time before you die, you have other things on your mind." He wants more understanding for those affected - and less bureaucracy. Getraud Schallenkammer had inquired in September 2018 by phone and in person at the DAK service center in Bad Tölz whether the costs of outpatient treatment trips could be covered. However, she did not present any medical prescriptions at that time. Apparently, however, she agreed to hand it in later. This emerges from the correspondence between the DAK and Christian Schallenkammer. The seriously ill woman never submitted the documents.
In addition to rigid bureaucracy, Christian Schallenkammer is disturbed that the DAK accidentally sent a letter to his dead mother. "Such a mistake must not happen," he says. DAK spokesman Stefan Wandel shows himself contrite: "In this one case, the letter sent at the end of February was addressed to Ms. Schallenkammer by carelessness, which we are very sorry for." Even if it was an isolated case, take it Use this incident as an opportunity to "review our letter communication processes for such constellations".
Christian Schallenkammer hardly appease such statements. Also, the fact that the ticket office now pays almost 378 euros in travel expenses does not make him withdraw his objection.
The first positive impression quickly gave way to a bland aftertaste. More questions were raised than answered. "Why do the conditions for the dead suddenly change?" Asks Schallenkammer. Could that have had something to do with the Tölzer Kurier's request? DAK spokesman Wandel is waving: The opposition committee had already decided to take over four out of six trips. The argument continues.
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