The opposition wanted to be informed about the status of the hospital reform, but the traffic light failed. “Such handling is highly problematic,” says the health committee.
The Health Committee met in the Bundestag on Wednesday morning. Hospital reform was not on the agenda, although alongside nursing care insurance it is currently the dominant health policy issue. In addition, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach surprisingly announced an agreement on the reform on Tuesday. The traffic light parties have removed the last hurdles before the reform can be passed.
There were still some changes to the original draft bill, said the minister. Specifically, there are more than 50. Among other things, this involves strengthening small clinics in rural areas. The opposition had recently repeatedly called for this. How she now assesses the changes is unclear. Because apparently the non-governmental parties don’t get any insight.
Traffic light rejects Union proposal: hospital reform in the Bundestag next week
In the Health Committee, the Union wanted to be informed about the current status of the reform. This is common practice in parliamentary proceedings. A law is always dealt with in the relevant specialist committee – and discussed by the government and the opposition. According to information from IPPEN.MEDIA The CDU and CSU therefore submitted a short-term proposal and also wanted to ask the minister to comment in the committee. Surprisingly, the entire opposition supported this motion – i.e. CDU/CSU, AfDleft and BSW.
But after a good half hour of meeting time, the traffic light parties rejected the proposal with their majority in the committee. Several committee participants confirm this. At the same time, the SPD, Greens and FDP confirmed the plan to pass the Hospital Care Improvement Act, which is part of the reform, next week. This causes horror among the opposition.
Opposition attacks “chaotic” traffic light: “Dealing with the opposition is highly problematic”
The health policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU, Tino Sorge, expressed to our editorial team his “explicit lack of understanding about this form of non-communication” and described the coalition’s approach as “chaotic”. The CDU politician continued: “It is completely open as to how a serious parliamentary and substantive discussion of over 50 amendments that are not available at the moment will take place for us MPs in the shortest possible time.”
Sorge believes “that a large number of substantial changes to this far-reaching reform project are to be waved through the committee and the plenary session at the last minute and without sufficient consultation time.”
The left sees it similarly. “Lauterbach and the government coalitions are dwarfing the important parliamentary consultation,” says Ates Gürpinar, spokesman for hospital and nursing policy IPPEN.MEDIA: “Dealing with the critical opposition in this way is highly problematic.”
Lauterbach’s hospital reform
The reform is intended to change the current remuneration with flat rates for treatment cases. In the future, clinics should receive 60 percent of the remuneration for maintaining certain offers (flat-rate maintenance fee). The basis for financing by the health insurance companies should be “performance groups”. They are intended to describe certain clinic treatments in more detail and ensure uniform quality standards across the country.
The consequence of these service groups is that not every clinic offers all operations. Smaller hospitals will probably give up competencies but remain responsible for primary and emergency care. Plannable interventions then take place, for example, in the respective specialist clinics.
Karl Lauterbach wants to revolutionize the hospital system, thereby reducing financial pressure on the clinics and establishing uniform quality rules. At least that’s what Lauterbach argues. The federal states and also the opposition have major concerns about the reform. The head of the Conference of Health Ministers, Kerstin von der Decken (CDU), recently described Lauterbach’s plans as “unrealistic” in an interview with our editorial team.
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