Status: 04.10.2022 10:40 a.m
After calls for help from the German Hospital Society, Health Minister Lauterbach promised the clinics support in the face of high energy prices. The government will not let the hospitals down.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has promised hospitals support in view of the high energy prices. “We don’t want the hospitals to have to close in the fall because the energy isn’t affordable,” said the SPD politician on RTL/ntv. “As the federal government, we know the problem and are working on it,” said Lauterbach. The government will “under no circumstances” let the hospitals down.
According to Lauterbach, the main problems of the clinics are the insufficient flat rates caused by inflation – i.e. the reimbursement of medical services per treatment case – as well as the increased energy costs. Both must be covered. The federal government is in contact with the German Hospital Society (DKG).
DKG boss: Can’t stop operations
This had previously expressed the fear of being forgotten in the relief package from the federal and state governments. Hospitals must be treated in a differentiated manner, demanded the CEO of the DKG, Gerald Gass, in the “Spiegel”. Unlike other companies, clinics cannot offset part of their cost increases by raising prices. “We can’t temporarily stop our operations or lower temperatures to save costs,” said Gass. As the “Spiegel” reported, according to the DKG, around 40 percent of the hospitals currently see their economic situation in such jeopardy that there is a risk of bankruptcy.
The federal government has announced a rescue package of up to 200 billion euros to protect consumers and companies from high energy prices due to the Ukraine war. Gas and electricity prices should be capped. There should be liquidity and equity support for companies that do not benefit sufficiently from the electricity and gas price caps. Details are still open. The aid is to be financed through loans. The round of prime ministers had expressly called for help for hospitals, but they are not explicitly mentioned in the federal draft.