Kasse calls for a change of course in health policy

Health policy positions of the Barmer GEK: Largest health insurance company calls for a change of course in health policy

06/19/2013

In addition to the various political parties, the largest health insurance fund in Germany, the Barmer GEK, has now had its say in connection with the upcoming general election. She has called for a fundamental change of direction in health policy.

Set contribution rate yourself
Germany's largest health insurance company, the Barmer GEK, published its on Wednesday „Health Policy Positions for the Bundestag Election 2013.“ The CEO of Barmer GEK, Dr. Ing. Christoph Straub explained that the Board of Directors and the Management Board of BARMER GEK described it, „how the health and care provision in Germany should develop in the next few years.“ The Barmer is in favor of giving the health insurance companies more autonomy by individually setting the contribution rate. This has been harmonized with the health care reform and is currently at 15.5 percent. Also the top federation of the legal health insurance companies (GKV) had demanded such a contribution autonomy, in order to strengthen the competition of the health insurance companies.

Pharmaceutical market reorganization law positively assessed
Although the Arzneimittelmarktneuordnungsgesetz (AMNOG) has been repeatedly criticized since its introduction, the Barmer comes to a very positive assessment. It says: „Medicines are indispensable for the care of patients. The reimbursement of medicines represents a significant proportion of the total cost of the statutory health insurance. Against this background, the review of the benefits for insured persons of both new drugs and existing market medicines, which was introduced by the Act on the Market Restructuring of Pharmaceuticals, is to be welcomed.“ In order to secure the savings effects of the AMNOG desired by the Federal Government, it was necessary to extend the expiring cost containment measures - the price moratorium and the increased manufacturer rebate - beyond 2013.

More networking and cooperation needed
In order to eliminate many of the still lamented shortcomings of the supply, the Barmer sets above all on more networking and cooperation. So says the CEO: „Our goal is a continuous and coordinated medical care.“ For example, direct contracts with hospitals should be facilitated for plannable operations. Great expectations are also placed in the new outpatient specialty medical care. For this could result in a competition in which people with particularly serious illnesses would benefit significantly more from the combined skills of hospitals and established physicians. In addition, the benefit assessment, which already applies to all drugs today, should be extended to all services. (Ad)

Image: Thomas Siepmann