Federal Council clears the way for traffic light hospital reform

The Federal Council is clearing the way for the controversial hospital reform. The state chamber allowed the law passed by the traffic light coalition in the Bundestag to reorganize the clinics and did not call the mediation committee. This means that the law should come into force on January 1st as planned.

The reform by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is about reorganizing the clinics. Essentially, the current remuneration with flat rates for treatment cases is to be changed. In the future, clinics should receive 60 percent of the remuneration simply for providing certain offers. This is intended to eliminate incentives for more and more cases and sometimes medically suboptimal interventions. The basis for financing by the health insurance companies should therefore also be new “service groups”. They should describe the respective clinic treatments in more detail and ensure nationwide quality standards – for example in terms of specialist staff or treatment experience. A “transformation fund” worth billions will also be introduced to provide financial support for the complex reorganization.

The design of the reform plans had been hotly debated for almost two years. Lauterbach also exchanged views with the health ministers of the federal states on several occasions, but they continued to raise criticism until the very end. The new structure is expected to take place over several years until 2029. This means that patients will not immediately notice it. The network of 1,700 hospitals is likely to become smaller.

Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Woidke dismisses the Health Minister

Before the decision in the Federal Council, Brandenburg’s Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) surprisingly fired Health Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens). The State Chancellery announced that she was relieved of her official duties.

Woidke had loudly Daily Mirror want to prevent Nonnenmacher from speaking in the Federal Council to call the mediation committee on hospital reform. Woidke was in favor of a mediation committee, Nonnemacher wanted to prevent the committee.