The Berlin Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is calling on established doctors to close their practices on September 7th. This is to protest against the cancellation of the so-called new patient regulation and the omission of remuneration for open consultation hours.
The background to the protest is a bill by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) on the financing of statutory health insurance. In this, a regulation for the billing of new patients, which was initiated by Lauterbach himself in 2019 in the grand coalition, is to be reversed.
At that time, it was determined that new patients no longer fall under the budget limit of doctors – and thus, according to the aim of the law, should be able to get an appointment more quickly. Under the impression of a deficit in the billions of statutory health insurance companies, Lauterbach now wants to remove this rule again with the GKV Financing Act.
“We are living through a very bitter hour. With this decision, not only is the work of the resident colleagues trampled underfoot, but the risk to health care is also accepted,” says a statement from the board and the chairmen of the representative assembly of KV Berlin, which was published on April 27. July dates.
One was “outraged” by the decision. The KV is calling on its members to come to the Brandenburg Gate on September 7th for a “day of action”.
[More from the capital. More from the region. More about politics and society. And more useful for you. This is now available with Tagesspiegel Plus: Test it now for 30 days free of charge.]
