Open letter
To the future traffic light coalition
Stop profit thinking in healthcare now! Give the care back its dignity!
the star-editorial staff calls on the future traffic light coalition to act in the interests of the voters: “Think of the millions of people who will be dependent on a functioning care and health system”
© Kay Nietfeld / DPA
Starting today, the traffic light coalition will be discussing the future of our healthcare system. the star-Editorial reminds you of big promises before the election – and of them star-Care petition.
Dear traffic light coalition,
In the next few weeks you will face the challenge of working together on a concept for a future-proof, modern and socially just country. An important part of this must be the task of the century to fundamentally reform the health and care system. Every citizen of this country is dependent on it, its functionality is one of the pillars of the general interest.
On this occasion we would like to address you to star-Remind the care petition, which the Petitions Committee discussed in a hearing on March 1, 2021. The central demand in it calls for the “consistent turning away from profit thinking and false economic incentives through health reform”.
More than 350,000 people signed this demand, it was one of the most successful petitions in the history of the German Bundestag. The citizens you represent are hoping for a health system that is “geared towards the common good rather than profit”. This is also the conclusion reached by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, which has held several large citizens’ dialogues. There are many ideas about this in the election programs and position papers of the SPD and the Greens. Returns could be limited in their amount, profits for the most part flow back into the health care system financed by solidarity, the flat-rate system should be put to the test and, if necessary, replaced.
The introduction of citizens’ insurance is also up for debate – an institution based on solidarity with society as a whole, into which top earners, civil servants, and politicians also pay. Two thirds of Germans are in favor, as is a clear majority of voters in the Union parties and the FDP. You apparently said goodbye to this project during the exploratory talks. That should be due to the reservations of the FDP,which continues to rely on market-based instruments and competition between the funds – and thereby ignores the will of the majority of its own voters. We think that’s a mistake. The liberals must also take note that there is a great deal of unity among the population on these issues. Understand this unity of people as a task for your future work!
There is also agreement that carers need better working conditions, better career opportunities and higher salaries. It is not just a question of fairness to these people who do great things for the community every day. It is a prerequisite for our care system not to collapse in the foreseeable future. In 2030, up to 500,000 caregivers will be lacking, the number of those in need of care will rise to five million. The Bavarian Minister of Health, Klaus Holetschek, is calling for a “revolution in care” for all of us in the face of this threat – and he is from the CSU.
Jens Spahn, the previous Federal Minister of Health, always wanted to give the impression that he was resolute in tackling all of these problems. In fact, instead of tackling the root causes, he was only trying to cure the symptoms of the nursing crisis. Every doctor knows that such a disease cannot be defeated. But his ministry ignored the central demand of the petition. A written statement refers to the “principle of subsidiarity”. It keeps the role of the state to a minimum. It should only provide its own offers if the free welfare or commercial providers could not fulfill the tasks. Translated into simple words, this means: Unfortunately, the state can only take little care of the general welfare of old and frail people, because the responsibility under the law rests with non-profit and private sponsors – who are once again in the much-vaunted “competition” with one another.
You can’t talk your way out of that. Laws can be changed. Ulrich Wenner, presiding judge of the Federal Social Court, recently published the analysis together with well-known legal experts “New start! For health law”, which summarizes what has to happen so that the state and municipalities take responsibility again: certain constitutional amendments that enable extensive, urgently needed interventions in the social security codes.
You now have the chance to do better than Jens Spahn. We are aware that the causes of the shortage of care and the disincentives in the health system are complex. But we appeal to you to take up this challenge. The situation is serious. Take them seriously too.
And one more request: Don’t just think about the next legislative period and the federal election in four years. Think in decades and of the millions of people who will be dependent on a functioning care and health system. You were chosen for this too.
You can find more information on the topic and the coverage of the stern foster petition here.