Association sees every third clinic due to Lauterbach’s reform before the end
Operators see a wave of insolvencies rolling towards German hospitals. They blame the reform of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) for this. Things could get serious, especially in the second half of the year. And two federal states are particularly affected.
DThe reform of hospital financing by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and high inflation are threatening many German hospitals. An “unchanged implementation of the recommendation of the government commission” would mean that “up to a third of the hospitals, especially smaller hospitals, would have to be closed” or raised to a higher level of sickness in order to survive – with closure being the “most likely option”. , says Thomas Bublitz, General Manager of the Federal Association of German Private Clinics (BDPK), to WELT AM SONNTAG. In total there are almost 1900 hospitals in Germany.
The Federal Minister of Health presented his reform proposal in December and then updated it a few days ago. The ideas of his expert commission are to be implemented within five years. But even if the reform were to improve hospital financing, critics say it would come far too late.
According to the BDPK, the clinic closures would have consequences above all for the population in rural regions of Germany, where there is a lack of alternative care in the outpatient and inpatient areas. Association leader Bublitz accuses the government commission of a centralized and schematic approach with the “lawn mower method” that does not take into account the supply needs in the affected regions.
Even worse warnings come from the clinic operators themselves: “If the hospital reform is implemented as the expert commission appointed by Lauterbach proposes, up to a thousand clinics in Germany will be threatened with insolvency,” calculates Kai Hankeln, CEO of the private clinic chain Asklepios .
Two federal states in particular are likely to be hit particularly hard: Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia. Because there are a particularly large number of the smaller hospitals that could have problems with the financing model proposed by the expert commission of the Minister of Health. “The only salvation for these hospitals would be for the municipalities to once again financially support them,” believes Hankeln.
Opposition criticizes reform
Criticism of Lauterbach’s reform plans also comes from the opposition. Ates Gürpinar, health policy spokesman for the left, describes the government commission’s proposals as “boosters for hospital closures”. Contrary to Lauterbach’s claims, the economic pressure on hospitals will remain high. “I understand the proposals to mean that bed reductions and hospital closures should be accelerated,” Gürpinar continues.
Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU), in turn, calls on the traffic light government to “put an end to the systematic underfunding of hospitals”. However, this cannot be achieved through a pure redistribution of the previous funds, as the concept of the government commission for hospital reform envisages, he said. “It is clear that the hospital sector needs to be equipped with additional money.”
The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) contradicts this representation. Accordingly, there is “no indication that implementing the proposal by the hospital government commission would lead to an aggravation of the financial problems of level 1i and 1n hospitals,” according to the ministry. On the contrary, without reform measures, there would be a “large number of uncontrolled insolvencies and closures”. With the reform, these clinics would get a perspective again.
However, the German Hospital Society (DKG) is also warning of a wave of bankruptcies as early as the second half of 2023. “We run the risk that ten to 20 percent of hospitals will have to file for bankruptcy,” says the DKG. According to the DKG, inflation and a fall in the number of cases would lead to a structural deficit of 15 billion euros by the end of the year.
If politicians do not take political countermeasures in the short term, there is a risk of a wave of insolvencies, especially in the second half of the year. And the association of municipal hospitals (IVKK) also expects up to a hundred hospital insolvencies in 2023 alone. In the next five years, the IVKK expects a three-digit number of clinic closures.