During the current debate regarding an upcoming increase in fees for apothecaries, the Federal Association of German Pharmaceutical Associations (ABDA) is demanding even higher rates than those currently planned by the federal government. ABDA President Thomas Preis stated to the Funke Media Group’s newspapers (Monday editions) that the planned increase to 9.50 euros per dispensed medicine package could only be a first step. He emphasized the urgent need for this increase, noting that the last rate hike occurred 13 years ago and amounted only to three percent. Since that time, the costs for pharmacies have risen by 65 percent.
Price further demanded that the pharmaceutical association should be able to negotiate the fees directly with the health insurance funds. He argued that the negotiation process is standard in other sectors; for example, fees for medical practitioners are renegotiated annually-partly based on the overall economic development-which regularly leads to higher rates. He stated that they need such a mechanism to prevent the current situation of being disconnected from rising costs for another 13 years.
According to his own calculations, the price per dispensed medicine package would need to be significantly higher now to reflect the accumulated cost increases over the past years. The association chief noted that the commission’s report specifies how the increase should be structured for all service providers-including doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies-within the healthcare system. Calculating this over the last 13 years suggests that the fixed rate should currently be above 12 euros.