Status: 05.08.2022 4:30 p.m
Immediately after the change in the Corona Test Ordinance at the end of June, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians got into a dispute with Minister of Health Lauterbach. Now they stop paying the test centers – due to a lack of legal certainty.
For the time being, the corona test centers will no longer receive any money from the associations of statutory health insurance physicians. Because they lack legal certainty after the change in the Corona Test Ordinance. “The Federal Ministry of Health wanted to clarify this,” said a spokesman for the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV).
KBV: The test regulation is still pending
The Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, which are responsible for billing and payment of the test costs, fear being held liable in the event of fraud. According to the new test regulation, free tests and tests with an additional payment of three euros have only been available for certain groups of people who have to prove their entitlement since June 30th.
After protests by the associations, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) promised that they would not have to check the content of the eligibility requirements for the tests. A corresponding change in the test regulation is still pending, the KBV criticizes in a letter to Lauterbach. Therefore, the associations are currently “unable to make payments”.
Ministry: Legal certainty is there
The Federal Ministry of Health disagreed: “The legal certainty for the billing of the citizen test was and is guaranteed.” The Ministry of Health expects the Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians to perform their legally assigned tasks as public corporations. “The test regulation will be adjusted at short notice, discussions are ongoing,” the ministry said.
Criticism: Citizen tests should be free for everyone
The chairman of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, explained that the federal government is putting more and more obstacles in the way of those who want to test: “The Federal Minister of Health is obviously not in a position to legally secure the agreement reached on July 4th with the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians within one month. ” Many people used citizen testing to protect others.
“Karl Lauterbach has been asked to make this binding by August 8,” explained Brysch. “Against the background of the complicated and impractical agreement with the KBV, it would be wise to make the citizen tests free again,” he said.
The head of the North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association, Thomas Preis, expressed his outrage. “It is a scandal that the operators of test centers will not initially receive any money for their work in July,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. “The test centers are stuck with the high costs for material, personnel and rooms. When the next corona wave comes, we need sufficient test centers in the area.”