Krankenkassen deficits reveal flaws in German reforms
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
German Health Minister Horst Seehofer has identified Heil- and Hilfsmittel - a category consisting largely of medical care products - among five sectors of the healthcare budget in which reimbursements rose most sharply during the first six months of this year. Addressing the Bundestag budget debate in early September, the Minister described the first-half deficits recorded by the Krankenkassen (see Clinica No 669/70, p 5) as alarming. Germany's healthcare reform law (GSG) is losing its efficacy, he declared, and are needed further reforms.