Rösler & Krankenkassen advise on austerity measures

Rösler and health insurances advise on austerity measures

On Wednesday, health minister Philipp Rösler (FDP) and representatives of the statutory health insurance funds will meet in Berlin to examine the legal savings options in the healthcare system. Occasion is the recent contribution increases of some funds.

The „Handelsblatt“ reported that the health insurances are demanding billions of savings and new pricing rules for certain medicines. According to the spokesman for the Federal Insurance Office, Tobias Schmidt, eight statutory health insurance funds have until now requested additional contributions. 50 coffers said that they want to get along in 2010 without additional contributions from their members. However, it is to be expected that there will be more applications for additional contributions in the foreseeable future. Of the eight applications, four have been approved so far, which may claim a maximum of up to 37.50 per month. Insured persons of other health insurances pay additionally eight euros per month.

Health Minister Rösler said in the „Weser courier“, that he would check savings on new expensive medicines and want to pass on the potential savings, especially to the members of the health insurance companies. According to Welt ONLINE, among other things, a reduction of the VAT rate for drugs from 19 to 7 percent will be discussed. According to experts, this could bring about three billion euros in savings.

The opposition and observers condemned Rösler's plans as pure actionism. He stands in the criticism, because of his proposals of the introduction of a capitation. Furthermore, be the
Current announcements under the aspect of the election campaign to see the upcoming state election in North Rhine-Westphalia.

They said that the health insurers' proposals had been available for a long time and that they had to be active above all in the case of pharmacy supplements and rising drug prices. There must be more competition among the pharmaceutical companies and better opportunities for discount negotiations for the health insurance companies. According to the World ONLINE are already proposals of the pharmaceutical industry to reduce costs. On 18 February, representatives of the pharmaceutical companies and the Federal Minister of Health should then meet. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 10.02.2010)