Eugen Brysch, a patient advocate and chair of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, believes that the statutory health insurance reforms adopted by the Federal Cabinet on Wednesday disadvantage insured people. Speaking to the newspapers of the Funke media group, Brysch stated that the package fails to achieve balance or ensure fair distribution of costs.
He sharply criticized the reform, arguing that “this imbalance falls entirely on the patients”. He pointed out that the proposed cost reductions are not tied to the quality of care provided. Currently, billing remains based solely on the number of doctor-patient contacts, meaning that the actual outcome of the therapy-whether patient complaints improve, worsen, or are merely alleviated-has no bearing on the level of reimbursement.
Furthermore, Brysch highlighted significant budgetary concerns, noting that the federal government plans to create a massive deficit of 50 billion euros within the statutory health insurance over the next four years. He also noted that the federal subsidy is slated for cuts, and the costs covered for recipients of the Bürgergeld (citizen’s basic income) will be only marginally addressed.
In response to these findings, the patient protector urged the Bundestag to intervene massively within the legislative process. Brysch demanded that Parliament must revise the draft written by Nina Warken and must hold Lars Klingbeil accountable for the outcome.