Mother-child cures in danger

Health insurance companies reject mother-child cures arbitrarily

22.07.2011

The savings efforts of the health insurance companies result in a significant decrease in the approved mother-child cures. According to media reports, the first spa centers are already struggling with considerable financial difficulties. A cross-party motion for a resolution, which should strengthen the rights of applicants and bring more transparency into the approval procedures of the health insurance, we probably in the Bundestag treated directly after the summer break.

The health insurance increasingly disregard the legal entitlement of the parents and reject the spa treatments often purely arbitrarily, so the charge on the part of the policy. The decline in approved cures is extremely problematic not only for health reasons, but also for the financial situation of the health clinics. The first spa centers were already in red, the Bundestag deputies Karin Evers-Meyer (SPD) and Hans-Werner Kammer (CDU) complained and warned that new legal regulations were urgently needed.

Approved mother-child cures declined sharply
In recent years, the number of approved mother-child cures has continued to decline. Already in 2009 by about six percent, in 2010 even by almost ten percent, so the reasoning for the bipartisan motion for a resolution, which should be treated after the summer break in the Bundestag. The health insurance companies would often reject the applications arbitrarily and without further explanation, criticized the politicians. This not only causes health problems for those affected, but the spa centers are also increasingly under pressure. In some cases, according to media reports last year, the number of spa patients fell by almost 20 percent. This is associated with significant financial difficulties that can become an existential threat to the health clinics. Reason for the significant decline in approved spa applications are the savings efforts of the health insurance companies. In order to put a stop to the arbitrariness in dealing with the spa applications, the politicians in the motion for a resolution therefore also demand the introduction of a transparent approval procedure by the end of 2011 at the latest.

Legal claim of the parents is disregarded
According to the allegation of the policy, the health insurance regularly disregard the legal entitlement of the parents to grant the parent-child cures. Often the applications would be rejected arbitrarily and without giving a justification. By introducing transparent approval procedures, politicians want to change them. The rulings should be detailed and comprehensible, according to the bipartisan demand. Overall, the rights of applicants should be significantly strengthened. Because the cures are saved in the long term considerable costs, as they can demonstrably disease-preventive act, explained the politicians. In addition, the parent-child cures are also used as rehabilitation measures after illnesses.

Measures of parent-child cures
During the usually three-week spa stays with measures such as exercise programs, nutritional counseling, relaxation procedures and group and one-to-one interviews, patients should not only be strengthened in their health, but also develop a closer bond with each other. Among the most common causes of a treatment request include disorders of the musculoskeletal system, psychosomatic diseases such as depression or burn-out, respiratory diseases and obesity. The children are often only accompanying persons when the mother applies. However, illnesses of the children may also be the reason for the spa stay. Respiratory diseases, susceptibility to infections, behavioral disorders, as well as skin diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system are among the most frequent treatment events for children. (Fp)

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Picture credits: Lucie Kärcher