The Minister of Health is concerned with the principle: he sees homeopathy as ineffective. Karl Lauterbach therefore wants to remove Globuli and Co. from box office services – and is receiving controversial reactions for this.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to abolish the financing of globules and other homeopathic treatments by statutory health insurance companies. “We will soon implement this legally,” said Lauterbach in Berlin. “Homeopathy is a service that does not provide any medical benefit based on scientific evidence.”
It has been discussed for years whether homeopathy should continue to be paid for by health insurance companies. Homeopathic medicines can be based on plant, mineral and animal substances. The extremely diluted substances are administered, for example, in the form of beads (globules). The scientific consensus is that homeopathic treatments have not been proven to have any effect that goes beyond the placebo effect.
Homeopathy as a statutory service
Today, health insurance companies can still offer such funds as statutory benefits. These are offers that a health insurance fund can grant in addition to the prescribed services. The competing insurance companies can use this to advertise themselves. In addition, health insurance companies can use certain contracts to finance diagnoses and treatments from doctors with homeopathy offers.
Lauterbach said that health insurance companies pay for services that have no medical benefit, “we cannot afford”. The politician and doctor said that it was also about the principle: “There is also the wrong picture.” Science is the basis of government action in climate, health policy or other areas. “There can be no sensible policy that ignores science – in the field of homeopathy we have done that so far.”
CDU accuses Lauterbach of distraction
Lauterbach put the estimated savings from the planned step at 20 to 50 million euros per year. Lauterbach’s predecessor Jens Spahn (CDU) had opposed the end of homeopathy as a health insurance benefit in 2019 – this would offend many people. Now Spahn’s party colleague Tino Sorge criticized Lauterbach’s plan. “Instead of fundamental considerations about restructuring the treasury finances, the minister is now getting lost in the small and small,” Sorge told the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”. “The planned cancellation of homeopathic services is a smokescreen.” It should distract from inaction.
Reluctance and criticism at the cash registers
In 2001, the statutory health insurance funds spent around 7 million euros on homeopathic remedies alone and almost 15 million euros on anthroposophic medicines. Association spokesman Florian Lanz was cautious about Lauterbach’s plans: “As far as the financial impact is concerned, it is more of a symbolic gesture than a measure with an actual effect.” It was a political decision to introduce special regulations with lower requirements for proof of effectiveness for special therapies. “And it would now again be a political decision to delete them again.”
The Securvita health insurance company, which claims to be a “pioneer in naturopathy,” accused Lauterbach of activism. “There was and is sufficient legal basis to abolish homeopathy as a health insurance service,” said board member Vladimir Werner of the German Press Agency, for example, with a view to the planned proof of profitability and quality in health insurance contracts with certain doctors. “The minister is obviously afraid to use these because they require more than the populist questioning of homeopathy, which is important for our health care.”
The highest statutory health insurance doctor praises Lauterbach
Lauterbach received praise from the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV). “It is right to abolish homeopathy as a health insurance benefit,” said KBV boss Andreas Gassen to the “Rheinische Post”. “While every new service that is to be included in the catalog of statutory health insurance must rightly undergo extensive proof of benefits, some health insurance companies have been happy to offer homeopathic procedures and remedies for which there are no sufficient studies in the interests of marketing to the insured.”
FDP against “expensive pseudo-medicine”
Lauterbach also received support from his liberal coalition partner. “We can no longer afford expensive pseudo-medicine given the precarious financial situation,” said FDP health expert Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus. Of course, you can continue to take homeopathic remedies at your own expense. The FDP health politician Andrew Ullmann spoke of a “right step” by Lauterbach, but called for further incentives for more personal responsibility. There was initially no reaction from the Greens, whose ranks had defended homeopathy as a cash benefit in the past.
Further steps for stable finances
In the eight-page paper from Lauterbach’s ministry with recommendations for stable cash finances, the planned cuts for homeopathy are already briefly mentioned – among other things, alongside planned reforms such as clinic financing or for an intensified fight against cardiovascular diseases. “Services that have no medically proven benefit may not be financed from contributions,” it says. The possibility for health insurance companies to provide homeopathic and anthroposophical services by statute will be eliminated. “However, health insurance companies will be able to arrange private supplementary insurance for these services.” According to “Spiegel”, Lauterbach’s house sent the paper to other ministries.
Homeopathic remedies for many ailments
Homeopathic remedies are used by patients for many ailments. There is a remedy for flu-like effects, globules for balancing blood pressure in the case of cardiovascular problems, tablets with traces of oak-leaved poison sumac for rheumatic pain or tablets with plant components and magnesium phosphoricum for menstrual problems in certain dilution levels – just a few examples among many .
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.
