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Less and less drugs are exempt from co-payments
It has recently been reported that health care is best in Europe in Europe. Given the costs incurred by insured persons, this is not particularly surprising. Even for prescription drugs, patients in this country have increasingly pay.
Several billion euros in additional payment
The doctors in Germany prescribe more and more drugs. In 2015 alone, every insured person was prescribed medicines worth almost 600 euros. Consequently, the insured also pay a larger contribution to co-payments. According to the pharmaceutical association Pro Generika, in 2014 patients had to pay more than two billion euros out of their own pocket for medicines. According to the association, this tendency has been going on for years.
Patients in Germany increasingly have to pay for prescription drugs out of their own pocket. The number of prepaid medicines has almost halved. (Image: Andrzej Tokarski / fotolia.com) Number of prepaid medicines has halved
Patients are increasingly paying for prescription drugs out of pocket.
This reports the "Bild" newspaper, citing figures from the Association Pro Generic and the Pharmacy Association ABDA.
Accordingly, the number of co-purged drugs has almost halved from 2011 to today.
Six years ago, there were still 7,116 medicines that could be prescribed for patients at no extra cost, compared to only 3,646 in 2016.
In total, patients contributed 2.143 billion euros in additional payments last year.
Restrictive fixed-amount policy of the statutory health insurance
The additional payment for medication is - depending on the price of the remedy - between five and ten euros.
According to Pro Generika, "the restrictive fixed-rate policy of the statutory health insurance (SHI), which lowers the fixed amounts for medicines", is one reason for the frequent additional payments.
Already two years ago, the association wrote in a statement: "The number of drug-free drugs is decreasing, the patient has to pay for more and more drugs out of pocket." (Ad)