Medical Day Bahr and Montgomery for medical fee

Medical Day calls for maintenance of the dual health insurance system

05/24/2012

The President of the German Medical Association, Dr. Ing. Frank Ulrich Montgomery, speaking at the opening of the 115th German Medical Conference in the State Theater in Nuremberg on various political issues and thereby handed out hard against SPD and Greens. Your model of citizens insurance is the „turbocharger“ for a two-class medicine, so one of the criticisms of Montgomery.

According to the president of the German Medical Association, it would be naïve to believe that one could prevent one another in our society, „Free doctors, freelance patients and free insurances instantly set up models of better care for those who could afford it materially.“ Indirectly, Montgomery explained that today there is already a two-class medicine, but on such details, the physicians see the doctors' day also like once - the main thing the mediated sentiment fits.

Abolition of the practice fee required
The opening speech of the President of the German Medical Association looks a bit like a campaign speech for the FDP. Almost all of the decisions taken in recent years by the Federal Health Ministers Philipp Rösler and Daniel Bahr receive great praise from Montgomery, while their predecessor Ulla Schmidt (SPD) has suffered a few swipes. According to Montgomery, Rösler and Bahr have managed for the first time to solve the deficit problem of the statutory health insurance (SHI), so that it is currently possible to discuss the handling of surpluses. Here, however, the President of the German Medical Association represents a different position than the Federal Minister of Health, which had called the insurance companies to pay the surpluses in the form of premium refunds to the insured. Montgomery pleaded in the meantime to leave the funds as a buffer for the next crisis with the health insurance funds or to use to abolish the practice fee. Because the latter bring „no measurable effect, costs only bureaucracy and burdened the patient-doctor ratio“, said the President of the German Medical Association in his opening speech. With regard to the abolition of the practice fee, the Federal Minister of Health and Montgomery are again relatively close to each other, because Bahr had already discussed their abolition.

The president of the German Medical Association also praised the pharmaceutical market reorganization law (AMNOG) enforced by Phillipp Rösler, with which the „Pharmaceutical industry in solidarity with the costs of health care“ is involved, „without appreciably affecting their fundamental profit opportunities.“ This is „a brilliant coup“ been, „which one had never expected from a liberal and only because of that he was able to succeed“, so the remarks of Montgomery.

Reform of the health insurance system urgently needed
On the opening day of the German Medical Conference, health experts Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and Jens Spahn (CDU) were also invited to a panel discussion in which they were able to present their ideas on the future design of health insurance. Lauterbach explained the bottlenecks in the health sector on the basis of charts and tables in a rather scientific discourse and pointed out that in the foreseeable future, the coexistence of the two systems would no longer be affordable. Fundamental reforms are therefore urgently needed. This was also confirmed by Jens Spahn, who pointed out that the future of private insurance was also being discussed in the Union. However, a change of system in the direction of citizens' insurance for all people in Germany is not yet an issue for the CDU. For his part, Montgomery was astonishingly committed to preserving the bipartite system of private and statutory health insurance. Both pillars are important „have contributed decisively to the undeniable success of the German healthcare system“, explained the President of the German Medical Association. According to Montgomery's „the existence of the private health insurance quite decisively for the achievement catalog of the legal ones“ and „If PKV did not exist, we would already have a much leaner service catalog in the SHI.“ Also, the statutory health insurance could be without the existence of PKV „their market power to patients and doctors play completely unabashed“ and we already have today „an innovation- and competition-free zone“, Montgomery continues.

Two-tier health care
According to the President of the German Medical Association, the introduction of a citizens' insurance would significantly boost the development of a two-tier medicine. Today we would not have any real ones „Two-tier health care“, but „this would arise immediately if a unitary insurance would dictate to patients and doctors what the future medicine should look like“, so Montgomery. However, the impression that the President of the German Medical Association is trying to protect a field of business which is extremely attractive to the doctors is a bit too much. Because many doctors earn well on the private insurance. Contrary to the words of Montgomery, a two-class medicine has long since developed, with extra waiting rooms for private patients as well as special advantages in appointing appointments and in the care of the doctor. Anyone who has not received an appointment with the specialist for months as a legally insured person should, as a joke, spend his time as a private patient - the result should be surprising. However, it could cause a bit of upset as soon as the doctor realizes that „just“ a legally insured person stands on the mat. (Fp)

Please also read about the practice fee:
5 Euro practice fee per doctor visit
Five euros practice fee misses the point
Bahr calls for abolition of practice fees
DGB: practice fee should be abolished
Private funds are no longer acceptable
Health insurance: What changes 2016351a2cc0b08c03> Image: Matthias Preisinger