According to a survey of statutory health insurance policyholders, conducted by the GKV-Spitzenverband, the waiting times for doctor’s appointments in Germany have increased over the past five years. Twenty-one percent of respondents described the waiting times as “too long” or “much too long.” A quarter of the patients wait more than 30 days for an appointment in a specialist’s practice, but half of the respondents can still see a specialist within ten days, the study found.
In contrast, patients are more satisfied with the waiting times in their general practitioner’s offices, with 52 percent describing the waiting times as “in line with my expectations” 36 percent as “still acceptable” and only 12 percent as “unacceptable.” Half of the patients wait only one day and 25 percent wait more than three days, the survey found.
A significant portion of the respondents, 43 percent, reported that the waiting times in both specialist and general practitioner’s offices have worsened over the past five years. The GKV sees the unequal treatment of statutory and private patients as a major reason for the development and is calling for changes.
“We will no longer tolerate the discrimination of statutory health insurance policyholders against private patients” said Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis, deputy chair of the GKV-Spitzenverband, in an interview with the Funke Media Group. She also reiterated the organization’s demand that the allocation of appointments should no longer depend on whether a patient is statutorily or privately insured.
Seventy-five million people in this country are statutorily insured, Stoff-Ahnis emphasized. “A needs-based and quality-assured healthcare system requires that they get an appointment with a doctor when they need it and not at some point in the future. This is especially true for the 90 percent of the population who are statutorily insured – there is definitely room for improvement” she said.
The demand to abolish the two-class healthcare system can be found in election programs and has been repeatedly voiced. The SPD and the Greens, for example, want to establish a universal health insurance system, in which statutorily and privately insured patients are pooled.
The German Social Welfare Association (SoVD) also advocates for the abolition of the two-class healthcare system. Members have been reporting that it is increasingly difficult to get an appointment, said SoVD CEO Michaela Engelmeier in an interview with the Funke Media Group. “The gap between statutorily and privately insured patients must finally be reduced” she demanded.
The SPD’s health policy spokesperson, Heike Baehrens, said that the party is fighting for a fair healthcare system. “This includes ensuring that statutorily insured patients have the same treatment options as privately insured patients and are no longer forced to wait for appointments” she said. However, she also emphasized that it would not help if everyone had to wait longer. Something needs to be done to relieve doctors of unnecessary patient contacts, she said.
According to the survey, patients also want longer opening hours, with 27 percent of respondents evaluating the opening hours of doctor’s offices as “too short” or “much too short.” Half of the respondents find the opening hours “still acceptable.” Furthermore, interest in online appointment booking has increased, with 51 percent of respondents considering it “very important” or “important.” However, the GKV points out that there are concerns among patients that personal data could be misused and the organization suggests building a non-commercial alternative for appointment booking.