Health insurance No homeopathy benefits more?

Politicians of SPD and CDU demand the abolition of homeopathy services at the statutory health insurance.

(13.07.2010) Politicians of the CDU and SPD want to abolish additional services in the field of homeopathy at the statutory health insurance (SHI). About half of the health insurance companies currently offer such additional benefits. There seems to be a coalition between the two parties on this issue, so there is at least one major curtailment of the rather under-funded Naturopathy grant.

For example, Karl Lauterbach, SPD chairman in the Health Committee of the German Bundestag, told the magazine "Der Spiegel": "One should simply forbid the health insurance funds to pay for homeopathy". Lauterbach, who apparently wants to declare himself an avowed opponent of homeopathy, also told the magazine: The CDU could have rejected this initiative, which would have offered in view of the popularity of homeopathy - but CDU health expert Jens Spahn did the opposite. "Lauterbach apparently wants Patients prescribe which medicines help them and which do not.That is why Lauterbauch also demands a ban instead of leaving it up to the health insurance companies to offer their insured services.The debate should also be a pseudo debate, because mostly health insurances offer homeopathic remedies only as additional services These benefits usually have to be funded by insured persons with higher contributions.

Open ears pushes the SPD foray into the former coalition partner CDU. Apparently you do not want to hear anything about competition from the health insurance companies here. As the CDU health expert Jens Spahn told the Berliner Zeitung: "We have introduced electoral rates for homeopathy at the time of request of the SPD and Greens.If the SPD is ready for change, we can talk about it immediately." Only the Greens are against the proposal, homeopathy additional services at the GKV´s ban. Green boss Renate Künast said: "The blanket criticism fails to recognize that even conventional medicine in many cases relies on the industrial imitation of many remedies that are available free of charge in nature." In addition, Künast rightly states that spending on homeopathic therapies would be disproportionate to the exorbitant spending of the traditional medical drug industry. Anyone who wants to cut costs in the health insurance, must take care of the large deadweight effects of the pharmaceutical industry, which have no practical benefit for patients, the Green politician. By the way, the cost share of the health insurance for homeopathic remedies is according to the "German Central Association of homeopathic doctors" just one per thousand.

At present, it is credible in various media that the effectiveness of homeopathy has been scientifically refuted. In several study „should have been detected“, that homeopathy does not work anymore as a "placebo". So the mirror wants to make credible that there is "not the least convincing evidence that homeopathic beads do anything other than a placebo effect." But these statements are either not well enough researched or simply gone wrong. For example, it has been scientifically proven that the homeopathic remedy "Galphimia glauca" is effective in the treatment of hay fever. In addition, an individualized homeopathic treatment of childhood diarrhea is detectable. In one study, it was shown that the frequency and severity of bowel movements decreased significantly in comparison with placebo. The homeopathic treatment of fibromyalgia patients relieves acute pain. Therefore, homeopathic treatment has been included in the official guideline for the treatment of fibromyalgia. *

It is certain that some homeopathic therapies can not be proven in their effectiveness. However, as the examples show, there are also highly effective areas in which homeopathic remedies very well contribute to the recovery of the patient. Here, obviously, the existing summer hole is used to take action against the small achievements of naturopathy. And that, although lately there has been a rapprochement between conventional and alternative medicine. (Sb)

Also read:
Homeopathy: soon no more cash?
Health insurance: additional contributions soon unlimited?
Spring tiredness: Naturopathy helps

* Source: H-Blog on "Carstens Foundation Corrects SPIEGEL"

Picture credits: Mike Frajese