The Bundestag can vote as planned by the coalition this Friday on the reform of statutory health insurance. Urgent motions by Green health policy spokesman Janosch Dahmen and Left Party politician Ates Gürpinar failed on Thursday before the Federal Constitutional Court. However, criticism of the reform plans continued, and it also remains unclear whether the Bundesrat will approve the new regulation on Friday as well.
For statutory health insurance (GKV), the federal government is planning cuts to benefits and additional costs for insured members due to massive financial problems. There were numerous last-minute changes to the draft legislation this week. The opposition politicians bringing the legal challenge criticized that they did not have enough time to work through these changes before the final vote on Friday. The court rejected their urgent motions, initially without detailed justification.
"This legally settles the question of a preliminary suspension of this legislative process. Politically, it is not settled," said Green politician Dahmen afterward. "Instead of sustainably solving the financing problems of statutory health insurance, the coalition is shifting the burdens onto patients, employees, employers, states and municipalities," he said, renewing his criticism of the law.
"The decision of the Federal Constitutional Court is bitter news for millions of insured members, patients and employees in the healthcare sector," said Left Party MP Gürpinar. He also criticized that the reform leaves "the central problems of our healthcare system unresolved." He added that the government was accepting "devastating consequences for healthcare provision."
The parliamentary group leaders of the Union and SPD, Steffen Bilger and Dirk Wiese, welcomed the Constitutional Court's decision, which also cleared the way for the vote on the new heating law. They told the news agency AFP that the coalition's approach was thereby "clearly confirmed" in both cases. "We are glad to conclude these important projects for the people before the summer."
The law reforming the financing of statutory health insurance funds (GKV) is first on the Bundestag's agenda on Friday morning. If it is passed there as expected, the Bundesrat will then deal with it. The states' approval is not required, but they could at least temporarily stop the new regulation through an objection or by calling the mediation committee.
The states are demanding, above all, more money for hospital financing. According to parliamentary sources on Thursday afternoon, talks with the states were still ongoing.
The German County Association (Deutscher Landkreistag) and the Verdi trade union called on the Bundesrat to block the reform. "We unequivocally call on the states to take a stand for comprehensive hospital care and therefore call on the mediation committee to fight for sustainable financing there," said Landkreistag president Achim Brötel, quoted in the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung."
"This law will drastically worsen the quality of care in German hospitals and cost tens of thousands of jobs," warned Verdi board member Sylvia Bühler in Berlin. "These cuts endanger human lives," she further criticized. The law remains "a burden package for insured members as well as patients," said Michaela Engelmeier, chairwoman of the Sozialverband SoVD, in the "Rheinische Post" (Friday edition).
The health insurance funds, by contrast, pushed for the reform to be passed. "We need this savings package, and quickly and swiftly, so that it takes effect as soon as possible and is not diluted further," said Oliver Blatt, chairman of the GKV-Spitzenverband, the umbrella organization of statutory health insurers, in the "Rheinische Post." "The law must now cross the finish line," demanded Jens Baas, head of Techniker Krankenkasse.
The Union and SPD are planning massive savings across various areas of the healthcare system with the reform law, aiming to stabilize GKV finances without further contribution increases. Insured members are set to be burdened through restrictions on the previously free co-insurance of family members, as well as higher supplementary contributions. The government wants to reduce the federal subsidy to the statutory funds, though not as sharply as originally planned.
Health insurance funds will in future no longer be required to inform insured members about contribution increases. "In effect, this undermines the special right of termination," criticized Ramona Pop, board member of the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband).
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