Gesundheit: Termingarantie? Koalition ringt um „gesetzlich oder privat“

The ongoing debate in Germany centers around the allocation of doctor appointments between those with statutory insurance and those with private insurance. Politicians from the CSU and SPD are urging a more rapid allocation of doctor's appointments for those with statutory insurance. The top association of statutory health insurance organizations has deemed a patient-directed appointment system overdue in Berlin.

Federal Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) plans to present a major reform of the physician service system this year, possibly in November. The primary aim of the reform is to reduce waiting times for specialist appointments and improve the efficiency of care. This would be achieved by more targeted patient monitoring, with patients initially being referred to their primary care physician, who would then refer the patient to a specialist within a certain timeframe, if necessary.

The previous health minister, Nina Warken (CDU), had prepared for this project since January through a series of consultations with healthcare stakeholders. The issue has been brought to the forefront by a new law attached to the recent emergency reform, which obliges contract doctors to report appointments to existing appointment services.

A panel of arbitrators, including insurance company representatives, would decide on the appointments. The head of the insurers' association criticized this, stating that if a fixed quota of appointments is set and blocked in practices, they would no longer be available for patients. The coalition plans a "term guarantee," a time window that would be determined by primary care physicians based on medical need.

The Union and SPD included this in their coalition agreement, promising to obligate the insurers to mediate these appointments. Coalition politicians are using this debate to push for their demands: "There is a discrepancy between the speed at which statutory and private insured receive specialist appointments," says CSU parliamentary group leader Klaus Holetschek.

The debate raises questions about whether online portals should be able to filter patients based on their insurance status. SPD health expert Christos Pantazis argued that medical urgency should be the deciding factor, not insurance status.