The former Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach of the SPD, has voiced serious concerns regarding the healthcare reform package proposed by his successor, Nina Warken of the CDU. Speaking to the “Spiegel”, Lauterbach warned that the planned austerity measures risk worsening the situation for low-income individuals covered by statutory health insurance.
Warken’s legislative draft proposes saving nearly 20 billion euros within the healthcare system, a package intended to prevent further increases in mandatory insurance contributions; the cabinet is scheduled to vote on it by the end of April.
Lauterbach expressed particular criticism over potential cuts to preventative care services provided by insurers. He also warned about the potential consequences of increased co-payments, suggesting they could compel people to forgo necessary medical treatments. More concerning, he argued, is the risk posed by capping budgets for medical professionals. He fears this limitation could lead doctors to restrict appointments for statutory insurance patients, causing them to focus disproportionately on private insurance clients. According to Lauterbach, this development threatens to deepen the already problematic system of “two-tier medicine”.
While acknowledging that cost limitation is a necessary measure, the SPD politician stated that such adjustments must be paired with a guarantee of appointment availability with specialist doctors. This safeguard, he stressed, is necessary to ensure that beneficiaries under statutory coverage are not disadvantaged by the reforms.