Costs to the dentist rise

Federal Council decides higher fees for dentists

05/11/2011

Going to the dentist may be significantly more expensive for patients from next year on. The Federal Council has decided on an adjustment of the fee schedule for dentists (GOZ), which will come into effect from January 1, 2012 and provides for a significant increase in fees for services that are not covered by the statutory health insurance funds.

On average, the fees for corresponding dental services are to increase by six percent from next year, according to the decision of the Federal Council. Overall, the dentists can count on an increase in fees of 345 million euros. The patients are therefore threatened with significant increases in treatment costs, but only for services that are not included in the catalog of benefits of the statutory health insurance.

Reorganization of the remuneration for dental services
Since the fee schedule for dentists (GOZ) has not been revised since 1998 and since then numerous new treatment methods have been introduced, which have not been considered in the GOZ, the policy was forced to revise the fee regulations of the dentists. With its current resolution, the Federal Council has now decided on the revision of the remuneration for dental services that are not covered by the statutory health insurance. Affected here are, among other things, more complex forms of dentures or fillings that go beyond the simplest requirements. For the legally insured patients, the corresponding treatment costs will increase significantly from next year, but the members of private health insurance companies do not have to worry about any additional costs, as they usually cover the costs for more complex treatment alternatives.

Best possible treatment only at your own expense?
Even insured persons can protect themselves with the help of so-called supplementary insurance at least partially before the additional treatment costs at the dentist. However, if they have not taken out any additional insurance, they must pay for treatment that is not covered by the statutory health insurance plan. And because statutory health insurance companies are always striving to save money due to the tense situation in the health care system, it is calculated on the basis of the cost of adequate medical care, regardless of whether better treatment methods may be available. The legally insured will therefore often only at their own expense to enjoy the best possible dental treatment. However, in order to keep the associated financial burdens for the patients manageable, the Federal Council has also made it compulsory for dentists to offer a cost estimate to dentists for dental services of more than EUR 1,000 before they start treatment.

Demanding treatments cause considerable additional costs
However, this does not protect the legally insured patients from the dentists' fees, which will increase significantly from next year. Even today, insured patients have to dig deep into their pockets if they do not use the simplest treatment method, such as amalgam fillings, but instead prefer more sophisticated solutions such as ceramic fillings. In the future, the cost of such treatment alternatives will continue to increase on the basis of the GOZ change. More and more, the allegation of social associations, which has been voiced for a long time, seems to prove that their income is recognizable in Germany. Further adjustments - in particular the catalog of benefits of the statutory health insurance funds - seem urgently needed. (Fp)

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Image: Michael Horn