SPD faction leader Matthias Miersch has urged that specialist doctors who delay appointments for statutory health‑insured patients receive budget cuts. “It is unfair that privately insured people get specialist appointments much faster than those covered by statutory insurance” he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. “Legislators must act to eliminate these perverse incentives”.
Miersch says that statutory patients should have a guaranteed right to a specialist appointment within a reasonable timeframe, suggesting a maximum of three weeks. He proposes linking this right to a bonus‑malus system in physician remuneration: if a practice fails to offer appointments, its budget would be reduced. Alternatively, funding could be redirected to clinics that provide timely ambulatory visits.
On the topic of nursing care costs, Miersch advocates capping patients’ out‑of‑pocket payments and boosting the role of private nursing insurance. “When the hard‑earned savings disappear within months, it feels like a seizure of their life’s work” he explained. “Patient contributions must visibly fall-ideally being capped. Currently, private nursing insurance does not adequately share the overall cost burden. Reforming this would enhance fairness and alleviate the fear of financial ruin in old age”.