The German Hospital Association wants to block the federal government’s reform of clinics and is again warning of restrictions on patient care. Politicians and health experts are meeting today for a hospital summit.
Ahead of a top conference on hospital reform in Berlin, German hospitals warned of restrictions on patients, given their growing multi-billion dollar deficits. There was a risk of long waiting lists for planned operations. “The financial situation of German hospitals is more serious than ever,” Gerald Gaß, CEO of the German Hospital Association (DKG), told the Augsburger Allgemeine. “Every second clinic is inevitably planning to step up cost-cutting measures, which sometimes also affects the care-related areas.”
The head of the hospital association has asked Health Minister Karl Lauterbach to adjust the health insurance reimbursement for hospitals to match the inflation and wage increases of the past few months. “Starting in 2022 and 2023, we will not be able to cover the costs of clinics,” Gaß explained. “Without compensation for these inflationary consequences, more and more housing units will be threatened.”
6 billion euro deficit
This year, German hospitals are expecting a deficit of 6 billion euros, Gaß said. Since the high inflation period, hospitals have lost an average of 3 percent a year. “The German health care system is in danger of losing its brand name of providing patients with quick access to hospitals through good choices, regardless of whether they have statutory or private insurance,” the CEO warned.
The federal government’s planned hospital reforms fail to deliver on their promise to secure long-term care through so-called reserve funding, the CEO added. “The de-economicization promised by Minister Lauterbach is a fraudulent label.” Funding is still tied to the highest possible number of hospital cases.
“A major reform is needed”
Gaß urged the state government to block the Bundesrat’s hospital reform bill and to fundamentally reform it through a mediation process. “The hospitals and the state government agree that a fundamental and comprehensive reform is necessary,” the DKG president emphasized. “However, I fear that if this bill is implemented as is, it will lead to a chaotic change process in the hospital environment.”
Gaß also accused the federal government of forcing churches and other non-profit clinics into bankruptcy. Churches and non-profit clinics currently have no chance of permanently replenishing their deficits, he said. Unlike public hospitals, they usually do not receive help from local governments and do not have sufficient loans from banks. “If this continues, hundreds of years old Catholic and Protestant hospitals will disappear without a sound,” the hospital director said.
Lauterbach and health politician offer
The afternoon DKG Hospital Summit will be attended by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, Brandenburg State Minister Ursula Nonnemacher, Andreas Gassen, President of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, and health politicians.
The legislative plan is to reduce financial pressure on clinics and establish uniform quality standards. This requires changing the fee for treatment cases to a flat fee. In the future, clinics will be required to receive 60% of the fee if they provide a specific offer. The funding base for health insurance companies should be a more precisely defined group of services that sets minimum requirements. An expert hearing on hospital reform, which was submitted to the federal Congress before the summer break, is scheduled to be held in Congress on September 25.
