From July apparently less money for midwives

From July, less money for midwives?

05/26/2014

Negotiations for greater support for midwives because of the liability premiums have failed for the time being. The GKV-Spitzenverband and the German Midwives Association could not agree on a cost compensation because of different ideas.

Cash registers and associations can not agree

For years, the free obstetrics in Germany is threatened because of high insurance fees. More and more midwives have to give up. Now again the dispute over the rising liability premiums between midwives associations and the central association of the statutory health insurance (GKV) has come to a head. The funds and associations could not agree on a compensation for the rising from July this year to 5091 euros premiums. Now an arbitration board must be switched on. First and foremost, the problem concerns midwives with relatively few births, as they are not entitled to cash compensation.

Increased liability costs for midwives

The GKV-Spitzenverband sees the blame for this with the midwives. According to the umbrella association, the midwives associations have demanded a total of four million euros instead of the statutory compensation for the increased liability costs of two million euros. The German Midwives Association (DHV) contradicts this, however. DHV presidium member Katharina Jeschke said: „The health insurances are not prepared to sufficiently compensate for the proven additional burden on midwifery midwives.“ The midwives working in obstetrics would be in the offer of the funds on the planned by Federal Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe (CDU) „Assurance award“ been instructed.

Compensation for a birth could decline

The midwives associations would address the issue of professional liability „general fee requirements“ mix up, so the charge of the coffers. The Central Association thinks that the model proposed by the health insurance companies would have solved the problem even for midwives with only a few births. An agreement pushes for cash information, since after 1 July a previously agreed supplement expires. The remuneration for a birth could then decline. Nationwide, about 2,500 freelance midwives would be affected. On the other hand, an agreement has already been reached for midwives who offer care or childbirth care.

Midwife talks about the seriousness of the situation

At the end of last year Birgit Dreyer, midwife and co-partner of the birth house Eilenriede in Hanover, explained how dramatic the situation is for many midwives in an interview with "heilpraxisnet.de": „There are regions in Germany that offer no extra-clinical obstetrics.“ And in future, the situation will become even more problematic: „Smaller birth houses will not be able to last much longer. And new young colleagues will no longer dare the step into freelance for reasons of existence.“ Dreyer explained that the increase in professional liability insurance „the free midwives who offer home help, birth care, or as midwives“ concerns. (Sb)