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Corona test center in Saxony: less money, more controls
Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / dpa
After several suspected cases of fraud among private providers of corona rapid tests, the operators should be able to bill less from July.
In addition, they should be more strictly controlled.
This provides for an amended test regulation from Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), which is currently being coordinated between the federal ministries.
First the Funke media group reported about it.
Operators of test sites should only be able to charge eight euros for taking the smear from July 1st.
So far it was 15 euros for medical providers and 12 euros for other providers.
Because the tests have become cheaper, they should only be billed at a flat rate of 4.50 instead of up to 6 euros.
Auditors should check on site
The suspicion of fraud on a large scale arose through research by WDR, NDR and "Süddeutscher Zeitung" at the end of May.
Apparently, significantly more tests were billed at the observed locations than actually visitors were counted.
The statutory health insurance associations responsible for billing are to check more thoroughly in the future - with the help of auditors, in detail and on site.
There should no longer be general commissioning of test centers, as was possible with so-called general decrees.
Health authorities should only be able to commission the bodies individually.
In addition, all providers of citizen tests should have to connect to the Corona warning app.
Those who have been tested should be able to get a test certificate directly via the app.
The draft puts the total costs for all centers at 1.4 billion euros for the current year.
For every one million tests, the federal government incurs costs of up to 15 million euros and material costs of up to six million euros.
Starting in July, these costs are expected to fall to nine and 4.5 million euros respectively.
rai / dpa