Hospital reform: Lauterbach warns of hundreds of clinic closures!

Hospital reform: Lauterbach warns of hundreds of clinic closures!

Lauterbach, Deutschland - In Berlin, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach commented on the expected closure of hundreds of clinics in Germany as a result of the upcoming hospital reform. According to Lauterbach, it will be necessary in the next ten years to close some of the 1,700 existing hospitals in Germany, especially in the major West German cities. In his opinion, the closures are justified because medical needs are not sufficient for many of these facilities. The minister emphasized that every third hospital bed is already unused and at the same time urged the shortage of skilled workers.

But there is also good news: clinics in rural areas should receive surcharges in the future to ensure their survival. Lauterbach explained that the reform aims to ensure a nationwide medical care infrastructure and to improve the quality of the treatments. Many city hospitals could be affected by releasing or reduced performance offers. Nevertheless, the rural institutions are apparently on the safe side in terms of maintaining their services.

Details on the hospital reform

The planned reform is ambitious and could have far -reaching effects on the financing of the clinics. Instead of the previous remuneration system, which is based on flat -rate remuneration per treatment case, a new regulation will be introduced: In the future, clinics will receive 60 percent of the remuneration for the provision of certain treatment offers. This measure aims to reduce the pressure to treat as many patients as possible and should significantly increase the quality of medical care.

With the highest hospital and bed density in Europe, Germany has achieved a critical situation: Many clinics are fighting with financial difficulties. Lauterbach therefore sees the reform as a necessary measure to avoid clinic insolvencies and long ways that could otherwise burden the health system. The new regulation is implemented gradually by 2029 after it is expected to come into force on January 1, 2025.

The reform still has to pass the Federal Council, where it is not subject to approval, but the Federal Council committee could delay its implementation by sending the reform to the mediation committee. That would not be the first time that political bodies have to discuss such a significant topic.

In addition to the relevance of the hospital reform, Lauterbach also made the forecast that the health insurance contributions will probably not continue to increase in 2026. He based this assumption on the progress made by the current and future reforms. According to his statements, the expected increase in the average additional contribution for 2025, by 0.8 points to 2.5 percent, will be theoretical nature. In practice, the health insurance companies decide how strongly their contributions have to be adapted, but Lauterbach is optimistic that the reforms can dampen an increase in contributions as a whole.

The critical voices from the opposition, in particular by CDU health politician Tino Sorge, focus on the question of costs. Surpris only criticized that Lauterbach was the "cheapest health minister", while against the background of a historically high increase in premiums, he should not show complacency.

It remains to be seen whether the reform actually causes all the intended positive changes in the hospital landscape and the contribution rate. The challenge for Lauterbach and his ministry is to successfully implement the far -reaching changes in a complex health system and to keep an eye on both the quality of care and financial stability. The topic remains exciting and could continue to be a hotly discussed topic in the political scene in the coming months.

For further information on the effects of the hospital reform and the details of the planned changes, Read the article at www.lippewelle.de .