Cash registers savings potential at clinics

Potential savings at clinics for discussion

06/14/2014

After it became known that the financial situation of the statutory health insurance companies has worsened, savings opportunities at the clinics are becoming more in the focus of political discussion. It is warned against excessive savings at the hospitals.

Health insurance companies make millions in losses
The largest statutory health insurance companies make millions. For the first time in years, they made a loss again in the first three months of 2014 and posted a total loss of 317 million euros, as their association vdek announced on Friday. In view of the beginning of the deteriorating financial situation, savings opportunities at hospitals are now becoming more in the focus of political discussion.

Savings on hospital beds
Opposite the „Passauer New Press“ (PNP), the health economist Jürgen Wasem from the University of Duisburg-Essen pointed to overcapacity: „Although 150,000 beds have been mined in the last 20 years, we now have an occupancy rate of only 75 percent.“ That is expensive. „And there can certainly make significant savings.“

SPD politician warns against excessive savings
The SPD parliamentary group vice-president Karl Lauterbach warned against excessive savings at the hospitals. The „Münster's newspaper“ he said: „The clinics must not become a moneybox.“ Although savings are possible and necessary for hospital beds and surgeries, there must also be more nursing staff in the clinics and better overall remuneration, according to Lauterbach. The expert relies on the fact that the adopted financial reform leads to more competition between the funds and thus to a limitation of the costs. „The health insurances have a real incentive to save from 2015, because otherwise they have to increase their contribution rate“, explained Lauterbach.

Austerity course of health insurance expected
Already in the past few weeks, in view of the black and red financial health insurance reform a austerity program of health insurance was expected. For example, social groups and representatives of the health sector had warned that health insurance companies might limit benefits due to rising pressure on savings. (Ad)