After the government collapsed: clinics, family doctors, emergency services – everything collapsed?

The German Foundation for Patient Protection expects a deadlock in important health care reforms following the break in the traffic light coalition. “It is naïve to believe that the parliamentary turbo will now be ignited for patients and those in need of care in just a few days of meetings,” said board member Eugen Brysch of the German Press Agency with a view to the upcoming early elections. “That’s why the federal election must now come quickly in order to form a government that can act.”

But even then it would still take many months, said Brysch and spoke of “gloomy prospects for patients and those in need of care”. Because at the end of the legislative period, all legislative proposals start over. The patient advocate warned: “In hospitals, doctors’ practices, nursing services and at home, everything is now getting out of hand financially.”

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had actually planned an “autumn of reforms”. Several projects have already been started – is it all over?

The reorganization of the clinics, which was decided by the traffic light coalition in the Bundestag, is hanging by a thread. On November 22nd, the Federal Council will decide: Will the reform go through? Or will she go to the mediation committee with Parliament, with her reappearance uncertain? Lauterbach is working on completing the major project. The reform is intended to fundamentally change remuneration and relieve hospitals of financial pressure. In addition, nationwide quality standards should be ensured and greater specialization should be achieved.

Relief for family doctors

In order to maintain the practice network in rural areas, improvements for general practitioners are being considered – among other things through the elimination of upper limits on remuneration, which many are calling for. The bill is in the Bundestag, and an expert hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday. But was that it? Lauterbach originally wanted to include health kiosks in hotspot areas and an end to homeopathy as a health insurance benefit.

There is already an emergency reform in the Bundestag that has been discussed for a long time. Patients with urgent concerns should be directed more specifically to appropriate treatment options instead of often going straight to the hospital. The draft provides for contact points in clinics where you will be directed depending on the urgency – to the emergency room or a nearby emergency service practice. Initial assessments by telephone should also be expanded. Shortly before the break, the traffic light also agreed on new standards for the emergency services – probably too late.

In the struggle for more organ donations, a bill introduced by the cabinet provides for expanded options for the transfer of kidneys. This means that kidney donations should also be allowed “crosswise” between two different couples. But the project is probably too early. Regardless of coalition majorities, a new attempt to fundamentally change the donation rules would in principle still be possible. This is the aim of a cross-party initiative to ensure that everyone should be considered a donor – unless you object.

Lauterbach can implement a key project that was decided on in good time for the long-stalled digitalization of the healthcare system: at the beginning of 2025, the 75 million people with statutory health insurance will have an electronic patient file (ePA) created by their health insurance company – unless they reject it for themselves. It is intended to be a digital storage device for information on medications, findings and laboratory values ​​and to accompany patients throughout their lives. The ePA is scheduled to start on January 15th in two model regions and probably nationwide four weeks later.