Wallner warns: Centralization endangers healthcare!

Wallner warns: Centralization endangers healthcare!

In the current debate about health care reform, Tyrol's governor Günther Wallner (ÖVP) contradicts the efforts to centralize the health agenda. Wallner rejects the complete transfer of these powers to the federal government because he is convinced that such a measure would have no positive effect for patients. Instead, waiting times would be extended, costs increased and bureaucratic hurdles increased, which has already been observed in the past, as Wallner argues when the independent regional health insurance companies were abolished. The Salzburg SPÖ politician Peter Eder supports Wallner's position and warns of the possible consequences of centralization, which could turn the states into recipients of orders. This shows that there is a broad rejection of these reform proposals, which is also shared by the Salzburg SPÖ.

At the same time, Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) announced several reform projects that are intended to serve as an answer to the challenges in the health system. The planned measures include the stabilization of social insurance, the further development of hospital reform and a reform of emergency care and rescue services. Warken describes the goal of her reforms as improving efficiency and quality of treatment while containing costs. She also sees overall social growth as a key to relieving the burden on contributors, especially with regard to long-term care and health insurance, which is under great pressure.

Concrete reform approaches

To provide financial relief, a hospital transformation fund was recently approved, which is to be financed with over 2.5 billion euros annually from the special infrastructure fund. In the coming years, statutory health insurance will receive a loan of 5.6 billion euros, while nursing care insurance will be supported with 2 billion euros. However, these short-term mitigations are not considered long-term solutions. A commission of experts is expected to present proposals for stabilizing social security by 2027. In addition, a first draft of the hospital reform is expected in the summer of 2023, which will be accompanied by financial support amounting to 4 billion euros.

As part of these reforms, the focus will also be on introducing a primary doctor system. General practitioner practices should become the first point of contact for patients in order to save costs by avoiding double examinations and improve the quality of care. Warken emphasizes the need to coordinate these legislative proposals with everyone involved and to use impulses from care, especially to reduce bureaucracy in the health system.

Urgent need for reform

In view of the financial burdens and the grievances in the healthcare system, the urgency of reform measures is increasingly being highlighted. The medical profession is warning of rising costs and declining quality of patient care. Practices and hospitals are overloaded, which not only leads to shorter treatment times, but also to an increasing loss of trust in the healthcare system. Despite high healthcare spending in Germany of 13.2% of GDP in 2021, population satisfaction remains low.

In order to reduce misuse of the healthcare system, there are proposals such as a co-payment of outpatient costs or a reimbursement of contributions if fewer visits to the doctor are made. The aim is to reduce the number of patients in practices and emergency services while at the same time improving the quality of care. It is becoming clear that bold political decisions are necessary to achieve real, sustainable healthcare reforms.

How these developments will affect healthcare in the future remains to be seen. However, it is clear that a rethink and action is required at both the regional and federal political levels in order to successfully overcome the challenges in the healthcare system.

Wallner and Eder make it clear that they want to stick to a decentralized healthcare system, while Warken wants to continue to champion her course of centralized reform. The disputes and suggestions show the complexity of the matter and the different views that need to be taken into account.

The various approaches being pursued in the healthcare system illustrate the need for reforms that provide both short-term relief and long-term quality improvement for patients and doctors. The challenges are great and require strong political commitment to bring about change.

For more detailed information about Wallner's arguments and Warken's reform approaches, we recommend taking a look at the reports from kleinezeitung.at, aerzteblatt.de as well as on the analyzes of aerzteblatt.de.