Bavaria threatens longer wait times if federal health reform cuts burden doctors
Bavaria's state government has announced extensive amendment requests for the federal health reform in the Bundesrat, warning that without corrections, millions of patients could face longer wait times for doctor appointments.
Bavaria is mounting a significant challenge to the German federal government's health reform plans, announcing extensive amendment requests in the Bundesrat. The state government, led by Health Minister Judith Gerlach, argues the current proposals place an excessive burden on general practitioners and specialists, which will ultimately harm patients.
The core demands
Gerlach, a CSU politician, is pushing for corrections to prevent what she describes as negative consequences for patients. A central demand is the suspension of planned cuts for GPs and specialists until a so-called primary care physician system is implemented. This system, agreed upon by the CDU/CSU and SPD, would give family doctors a stronger steering function, directing patients to specialists and clinics via referrals.
It is very important to stabilize the contribution rates in statutory health insurance. But austerity measures must be sensible — and not too many tasks should be shifted onto doctors. Otherwise, for example, longer waiting times for doctor's appointments are looming.
The push for outpatient surgery
To achieve real cost savings for insurers, Gerlach is demanding a massive expansion of outpatient operations. She cited studies indicating a potential of more than four million treatment cases per year. According to her calculations, a consistent approach could yield savings in the statutory health insurance system of around eight billion euros annually.
We need fundamental changes in the outpatient sector to make the healthcare system fit for the future. Better patient management is crucial for this.
Further Bundesrat amendments
Beyond the primary care system and outpatient surgery, Bavaria intends to use its position in the Bundesrat to block the elimination of financial incentives for faster specialist appointment scheduling. The state also wants to ensure that general practitioners are not disadvantaged through volume-based deductions. Gerlach criticized the current direction, insisting that the mandatory primary care system must be implemented swiftly to start saving costs as early as next year.
