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No free corona tests for Hartz IV recipients: will the unemployed face high costs?

2021-08-13T09:36:26.754Z


For Hartz IV recipients, it will be expensive from autumn. As the federal and state governments decided in a joint round, they too will have to pay for the corona tests themselves in the future.


For Hartz IV recipients, it will be expensive from autumn.

As the federal and state governments decided in a joint round, they too will have to pay for the corona tests themselves in the future.

Berlin - As the federal and state governments agreed on Tuesday (August 10th) in the Prime Minister's Conference (MPK), the free corona tests will be abolished.

This should relieve the state treasury from autumn.

Only people who cannot be vaccinated, for health reasons, for example, are exempt from the costs.

This also includes pregnant women or children for whom the Standing Vaccination Commission (StIKo) does not yet recommend a vaccination.

As the

Rheinische Post

reports, the federal government has already spent almost 3.7 billion euros on the free tests.

According to the MPK, the end of this should stop the onset of vaccination fatigue and motivate more people to be vaccinated.

Corona tests: costs will continue to rise

This will hit poor people especially hard, who are already more exposed to the corona pandemic.

The plans of the federal and state governments to abolish the free tests also affect Hartz IV * recipients.

There is therefore criticism of the plans.

With the decision of the MPK to abolish free tests, the costs could rise even further.

If the state no longer pays for corona tests, many will probably refrain from being tested.

At the same time, the number of people who have been vaccinated or recovered, who often no longer need tests, is increasing.

Due to the smaller number of customers, the unit costs per test are likely to increase.

Test costs: "Ultimately, the free market decides"

Social welfare recipients who cannot take advantage of the vaccination offer are therefore faced with high costs. A spokesman for the Ministry of Health said how expensive the tests will be, "nobody can say exactly", ultimately the free market decides. According to Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), there are currently costs of at least 35 euros for PCR tests, and between 30 and 50 euros for a rapid antigen test.

A lot of money for people who depend on government support.

According to

FR

, politicians from the opposition in particular criticize the government's plans to refuse social welfare recipients the free tests.

For example, the Bundestag member of the Left, Katja Kipping, is

quoted

by the

WAZ

: "Jens Spahn carries this out on the back of the poor, those who are worried about getting through the month."

Abolition of free tests: "Flying blind again"

In the

ARD

, Janosch Dahmen, member of the Bundestag for the Greens and a doctor himself, emphasized that the debate about the abolition of free tests was premature.

He considers the decision of the MPK to be "not only unfair, but above all bad, because it puts us in another blind flight in the corona pandemic *."

In order to be able to continue to participate in social life, a vaccination should be the only way out of the cost trap for Hartz IV recipients.

Why social welfare recipients who cannot or are not allowed to be vaccinated still have to bear the high costs, the MPK gave no answer on Tuesday.

* Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN-MEDIA.

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-08-13

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