Debacle apart from Corona?
Lauterbach could fly billions holes around the ears
Created: 01/04/2022, 11:13 AM
From: Florian Naumann
Karl Lauterbach (right) and his predecessor in the Ministry of Health, Jens Spahn.
© Michael Kappeler / dpa
Corona is a full-time job for new Minister Karl Lauterbach.
But there is a threat of further adversity in health policy - several associations are warning.
Berlin - For almost two years, Corona has been the main focus of German health policy.
Now Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) threatens hardship from a completely different side: A financial disaster may be approaching in health and long-term care insurance.
At least on Tuesday, several actors warned against this.
Once again, Lauterbach's predecessor Jens Spahn (CDU) comes into focus.
Lauterbach facing problems?
Health insurance companies warn of a billion-hole from 2023
The statutory health insurance system has “a massive financial problem”, especially due to the expensive reforms of recent years.
Its rectification tolerated "no delay," said the head of the umbrella association of statutory health insurers (GKV), Doris Pfeiffer, the
editorial network Germany
.
Although fighting the corona pandemic is currently a priority for Lauterbach, said Pfeiffer.
A new summit on the subject is scheduled for Friday.
Therefore, however, the health reforms agreed by the traffic light parties should “not remain undisturbed”, emphasized the head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds.
Currently, the financial position of the funds is only stable because the federal government has doubled its tax subsidy for 2022 by 14 billion to almost 30 billion euros.
The financing for 2023 is still open.
From 2023, the traffic light wants to comply with the debt brake again.
Health misery apart from Corona: Health insurance companies see problems with Hartz IV regulation, among other things
"If nothing is done, the contributions will have to rise by an average of almost one percentage point at the beginning of 2023," warned the chairwoman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds.
According to her, with a monthly income of 3500 euros, that would mean an additional burden of 35 euros for the insured and the employer.
“I can't imagine anyone in politics wanting that,” said Pfeiffer.
Specifically, she demanded that the federal government pay the health insurers fully cost-covering contributions for Hartz IV recipients from 2023.
It is "highly problematic" that the coalition agreement between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP does not speak of a complete equalization, but only of higher contributions.
"It is simply not the job of those paying contributions to the statutory health insurance to finance the state's tasks," criticized Pfeiffer.
Traffic light and Lauterbach's ministry under pressure: VdK sounds the alarm at long-term care insurance
At the same time, in the opinion of the social association VdK, there is also a risk of an increase in contributions to long-term care insurance.
"It is not possible that we can afford two parallel insurance systems - statutory and private long-term care insurance," said VdK President Verena Bentele of the
Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung
.
It could also not be "that the long-term care insurance pays benefits that are originally to be financed from taxes, such as pension payments for caring relatives".
Bentele called for further improvements in care - especially for the family carers and the people cared for at home. "If home care is not promoted and protected now, it can become much more expensive for long-term care insurance. Here the priorities were set completely wrong in the past years of government, ”Bentele told the
NOZ
. The head of the association had already
warned
in a guest
post
for
Merkur.de
at the
end of 2020
about negligence in maintenance.
For Lauterbach and his ministry, these are not the only construction sites far away from the daily Corona management: The financial situation of many hospitals and the personnel situation in nursing are also viewed with concern.
And the prevention
expert
Hajo Zeeb recently reprimanded
IPPEN.MEDIA with
very fundamental problems with pandemic
preparedness
.
(
dpa / fn
)
