General practitioners in Germany are set to benefit from a proposed law that will ensure full compensation for services rendered beyond their financial budgets. The SPD, Greens, and FDP coalition aims to improve general medical care, particularly in underserved areas, while introducing a chronic care flat rate for patients with chronic illnesses. However, concerns have arisen regarding potential increased costs for patients, as the statutory health insurance association warns of possible fee hikes.
General practitioners who exceed their financial budget often face challenges with health insurance reimbursements for treatments. However, a significant change is on the horizon. The SPD, Greens, and FDP have come together to propose a new law that the Bundestag is set to decide on next week.
The coalition of SPD, Greens, and FDP has decided to move forward with the long-awaited de-budgeting for general practitioners. This new regulation ensures that all additional work will be compensated appropriately, even when a practice’s budget is fully utilized.
Previously, there was a cap on fees. When this budget was surpassed—often due to a general practitioner seeing many more patients—the reimbursements from health insurance companies were frequently incomplete. This will soon change, as doctors will be compensated for every service they provide.
Moreover, the General Practitioners’ Association plans to introduce a chronic care flat rate. This initiative will alleviate the burden on patients with chronic illnesses, who will no longer need to make unnecessary visits to their doctors multiple times each quarter, especially when it is not medically justified.
In instances where medical practices struggle to find successors, investors frequently intervene to create medical care centers.
Enhancing General Medical Care
The primary objective of this law is to bolster general medical care, particularly in underserved rural regions. Currently, around 5,000 general practitioner practices across Germany remain vacant, and this number is on the rise.
For health insurance companies, this agreement translates to increased costs, with experts predicting an annual impact of several hundred million euros. The Federal Ministry of Health had previously noted that these additional costs would amount to a ‘lower three-digit million sum.’
The Bundestag is anticipated to approve the de-budgeting law next week, a key component of the Health Care Strengthening Act introduced by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). Although the entire legislative package did not pass through the Bundestag and Bundesrat, Lauterbach emphasized the importance of this reform: ‘We aim for more individuals to consider a career as general practitioners and for patients to secure appointments more swiftly,’ he stated during an interview with the ARD Capital Studio.
The legislative draft seeks to alleviate the pressure on practices while ensuring quality patient care.
A Milestone for General Practitioner Practices
The Association of General Practitioners heralds this development as a ‘milestone for general practitioner practices.’ The agreed measures represent a crucial first step toward addressing the ongoing crisis in general medical care, benefiting practices in both urban and rural settings.
Heike Baehrens, the health policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, expressed her satisfaction that a parliamentary majority was achieved for this vital issue, even amid the election campaign. She also highlighted the need to streamline the provision of aids for individuals with disabilities and expand access to emergency contraceptives for sexual violence victims. Some final technical details remain to be worked out.
Greens vice-chairpersons Maria Klein-Schmeink and Armin Gau also praised the ‘significant improvements in general medical care,’ accomplished in collaboration with the SPD and FDP during the final stages of negotiations.
Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus, health expert for the FDP, noted that henceforth, every service rendered by general practitioners will be fully reimbursed, ultimately benefiting patients the most.
Concerns Over Rising Patient Costs
The top association of statutory health insurance (GKV) has raised alarms about potential ‘extra fee increases for general practitioners,’ cautioning that this could lead to higher costs for patients. GKV spokesperson Florian Lanz warned that the de-budgeting of general practitioners could impose an additional €400 million burden on contributors annually, without offering any tangible benefits to the patients themselves.
Information sourced from Birthe Sönnichsen, ARD Capital Studio
This topic was highlighted by tagesschau on January 20, 2025, at 5:00 PM.