A comprehensive data analysis conducted by “Spiegel” reveals that statutory health insurance patients wait significantly longer for specialist appointments compared to private insurance patients. Analyzing nearly 24,000 search results on the Doctolib platform, the analysis shows that patients with statutory health insurance wait twice as long as private insurance patients in many specialist groups, with some cases waiting three to four times longer. The analysis is particularly alarming when it comes to lung specialists, as patients with statutory health insurance waited on average for 129 days, more than four months, for an appointment, while private insurance patients received it after just 35 days.
Similar discrepancies are observed in the other twelve examined specialist groups, with the exception of orthodontists and pediatricians, where waiting times are almost identical for both patient groups. The analysis also indicates that statutory health insurance patients are offered fewer concrete appointments compared to private insurance patients. They often encounter messages such as “We gradually release more appointments for online booking. Try again at a later time.” This message is notably more frequent for most specialist groups when searching online as a patient with statutory health insurance.
Another significant finding from the “Spiegel” investigation is that even among doctors who treat both statutory and private patients, private patients receive earlier appointments. This suggests a systematic disadvantage for patients with statutory health insurance, which could be economically motivated.