Rejected asylum seekers are treated medically and have their teeth “new” at the public’s expense – CDU leader Merz is offended by this. But the statement is partly wrong. A fact check.
In the debate about the large influx of refugees, CDU leader Friedrich Merz is causing a stir with a statement about rejected asylum seekers: “They sit at the doctor and have their teeth remade, and the German citizens next door can’t get any appointments,” Merz explained in the “Welt-Talk” from the television station of the same name. What rights to medical treatment do migrants actually have? A fact check.
Claim: “They’ll go crazy, the people, when they see that 300,000 asylum seekers are rejected, don’t leave the country, get full benefits, get full medical care,” Merz told the television station “Welt.”
Rating: partly wrong.
Facts
At the end of last year, according to the Central Register of Foreigners, 304,308 foreigners were required to leave the country, of which 248,145 had toleration status. The right to their health care is regulated by the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, which, according to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, also applies to tolerated migrants. After that, they only have a limited right to health care during the first 18 months of their stay; they do not have statutory health insurance during this time. However, you can visit a doctor if you are acutely ill or in pain. Dentures – as indirectly mentioned by Merz – are only available if it cannot be postponed for medical reasons in individual cases, according to paragraph 4 of the law.
Responsibility lies with the states, explains the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds. Within the first 18 months, the respective social welfare offices usually issue special treatment certificates for refugees for medical care.
After the 18 months, asylum seekers and tolerated people are looked after by a statutory health insurance company – this is what it says in paragraph 264 of the Social Security Code. They will then also receive an electronic health card. The benefits are then similar to those of people with statutory health insurance. However, health insurance companies usually do not pay for bridges or crowns in full, but rather cover 60 percent of the costs for dentures. The rest must be paid additionally or is covered by additional private insurance. However, there is a hardship regulation in the Social Security Code for people with very little money. In individual cases, the health insurance company may cover up to 100 percent of the costs, as an AOK spokesman confirmed.
All information about the dpa fact checks Contact page for the dpa fact check team
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
