If there is a general vaccination requirement, violations seem almost inevitable in the face of protests by vaccination opponents. How should it be dealt with?
Munich – Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) has proposed not only to impose fines in the event of violations of the planned general corona vaccination obligation, but also to consider financial consequences for the health insurance company.
“We should also check whether malus regulations in the area of statutory health insurance would be possible and sensible,” said Holetschek to the editorial network Germany (RND). “Because the risk for unvaccinated people to get seriously ill with Corona is significantly increased,” said the chairman of the conference of health ministers. “The examination of whether this would be possible and sensible, if necessary, has to be carried out by the federal government in the context of the implementation of a general vaccination requirement.”
Criticism from patient advocates
Criticism of these considerations came from the board of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch. “Holetschek shouldn’t play with fire. That releases centrifugal forces that we can no longer control, “said Brysch of the German press agency. The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, strictly rejected higher health insurance contributions for those who do not want to vaccinate and those who oppose the vaccination. “The solidarity-based statutory health insurance with over 100 years of history has no risk-adapted premiums,” said Gassen of the “Rheinische Post” (Monday).
Holetschek did not name any preferences. According to the RND report, higher health insurance contributions for unvaccinated people, participation in treatment costs or the cancellation of sickness benefits would be considered. The last two options are already regulated, namely for follow-up treatments after aesthetic operations, tattoos or piercings that are not medically indicated. Then “the health insurance company has to share the costs with the insured in an appropriate amount and to refuse or reclaim the sickness benefit in whole or in part for the duration of this treatment,” it says in the Social Security Code.
Brysch said that if this were to apply in connection with mandatory vaccination, everything had to be put to the test that posed a risk to humans. “It starts with exercise and continues through smoking,” says Brysch. For example, to share smokers or obese people in the costs of their treatment if they became ill as a result of their lifestyle, “would be a wrong path”. Cosmetic surgery, piercings or tattoos are about risky interventions. “Not vaccinated is in no way comparable. Failure is quite different from acting. It would be a 180 degree turn in the social security code, ”said Brysch.
“In the logic of the Bavarian Minister of Health, there would also have to be surcharges for smokers or overweight patients in the future, as these also regularly trigger high treatment costs,” said Gassen. It also remains a mystery how malus rules are supposed to work for people who are insured under transfer payments. “It would be better to convince people,” said the KVB boss of the “Rheinische Post”.
92,000 for Ecmo treatment
The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Berlin, on the other hand, recently spoke out in favor of unvaccinated people sharing the costs of hospital services. The editorial network Germany cites figures from the AOK, according to which the treatment of a corona patient who is ventilated with an Ecmo machine costs an average of 92,000 euros. It is around 34,200 euros for artificial ventilation without Ecmo and an average of around 5800 euros for corona patients who are not ventilated.
On December 10, the Bundestag decided that employees in clinics and nursing homes should be vaccinated. By March 15, all employees in these areas must provide evidence of a complete vaccination. In order to increase the vaccination rate, a general vaccination requirement is now also under discussion. The plan is for the Bundestag to vote on it without being forced to take part in a parliamentary group.
Holetschek called on the parties in the Bundestag to initiate mandatory vaccination in January. “We have to start the general compulsory vaccination as soon as the facility-related compulsory vaccination takes effect.” Many employees in clinics and nursing homes felt stigmatized by the new regulation. “With a general vaccination requirement, we ensure equal treatment and also prevent even more caregivers from leaving their jobs.” Dpa
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