Berlin, Germany – In a recent agreement, the former traffic light coalition of the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party has reached a consensus to abolish the fee cap for general practitioners in Germany. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, a member of the SPD, has expressed relief at the development, citing the difficulty many patients face in finding a general practitioner, as the number of GPs continues to decline.
According to Lauterbach, the goal is to make the profession of a general practitioner more attractive, potentially by eliminating budget constraints and “bureaucratic quarterly advance payments.” He added that the quarterly advance payments had led to many practices being overwhelmed with patients who did not actually need to see a doctor.
In the future, doctors will have more time to attend to new patients and complex cases, the minister predicted. “House doctor appointments will be easier to get in the following period” Lauterbach announced. “Strengthening general practitioners also reduces costs, as unnecessary specialist appointments fall away.”
The planned regulations are expected to pass the German Bundestag with the majority support of the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP before the federal election.