Health Fund Gröhe defends cuts

Federal Minister Gröhe defends cuts in health funds

06/25/2014

The Bundestag has voted on a reduction of the federal subsidy to the health fund of the statutory health insurance. After the opposition voiced massive criticism of the decision, Federal Health Minister Gröhe defended the cuts.

Federal Minister Gröhe defends cuts
Federal Health Minister Hermann Gröhe (CDU) has defended the decision of the black-red federal government to cut the federal subsidy to the health fund. According to an afp message he said in the budget debate of the Bundestag: „The statutory health insurance is well financed.“ The Minister referred to financial reserves in the health fund and the legal funds in the tens of billions. According to a report from a few weeks ago, the reserves of the health insurance funds are more than 16 billion euros and the health fund more than 13 billion euros. CDU health expert Jens Spahn, however, recently said: „However, expenditures are likely to increase much more than revenues; the reserves will not last forever.“

Billions of cuts planned
As part of the budget consultations, the Bundestag had previously adopted the Budgetary Accompanying Act 2014 with the majority of the Union and the SPD. This provides for the reduction of the federal subsidy to the public health insurance fund by 3.5 to 10.5 billion euros for 2014 and by 2.5 to 11.5 billion euros for the coming year. In 2016, the subsidy should rise again to its intended value of 14.0 billion euros and then permanently to 14.5 billion euros.

Strong criticism from the Left Party
On the part of the Left Party came strong criticism. Thus, the chairman of the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag, Gesine Lötzsch accused the government in the debate, with the subsidy reduction „To shift problems into the future“. It has nothing to do with sustainability. The left also demands an additional 2.5 billion euros to alleviate the 50 billion euro investment backlog at the hospitals. Health spokesman for the Left Party, Harald Weinberg, demanded that ensuring inpatient care should remain a public task. Without the additional money, a further wave of privatization at clinics is to be feared.

Savings only to be borne by the insured
The Greens also criticized the restrictions: „With these cuts you provoke contribution increases“, said Elin Deligöz, Member of the Budget Committee. The savings would then have to be borne by the insured through additional contributions alone. The expenditures of the public health insurance funds rose again after a time of the surplus again clearly recently. Some health insurance companies fall into the minus and therefore expect additional contributions from the coming year. (Ad)