The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) has issued a warning that the federal government’s planned health reform could lead to a massive decline in healthcare provision. According to a report cited by “Bild” (Saturday edition), which references a document from the KBV, approximately 46 million medical treatments are projected to be lost every year.
The association warns that the planned measures could significantly limit care availability. The document states that the number of unpaid treatment cases is expected to reach around 46 million in the coming year, representing an 8% reduction.
A particularly drastic scenario, also calculated by the physicians, involves the potential limitation of practices to the legal minimum of 25 consultation hours per week. In this instance, an estimated 169 million medical appointments would be lost. The KBV attributes this overall decline to the planned restrictions on compensation within outpatient care.
Andreas Gassen, the KBV’s Chairman, told the newspaper that if the law proceeds in its current form, the various local statutory health insurance associations will be required to adjust their outpatient service offerings according to the legal mandates-meaning they must reduce them. He described the legislation as a “scraping law” that threatens the care provided to patients.