Statutory insurers call for fairer doctor appointments in Germany

Oliver Blatt, head of the GKV-Spitzenverband, the national umbrella association of Germany’s statutory health insurance funds, has called for doctors to give out appointments by medical need rather than by how a patient is insured. He told the Funke media group that statutory patients are often put at a disadvantage when booking appointments, and called this “a crying injustice”.

What happened

According to tagesschau, Blatt said statutory patients need better treatment when doctors give out appointments. In German this is known as Terminvergabe (appointment allocation). He said access to ambulante Versorgung (outpatient care, meaning treatment at a doctor’s practice rather than in hospital) should be organised “so that appointments are given according to medical need, and not according to how someone is insured”.

Blatt pointed out that 75 million people in Germany have gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (statutory health insurance, often shortened to GKV). He said this group pays by far the largest share of doctors’ fees, yet often loses out when it comes to appointments. He described this as a “himmelschreiende Ungerechtigkeit”, which roughly means a crying or outrageous injustice.

Blatt also rejected the term Zwei-Klassen-Medizin (two-tier medicine). He said hospitals and most doctors treat statutory patients just as well as private patients. In his view the unequal treatment shows up mainly in waiting times. “Doctors should continue to treat private patients, but not automatically give them preference,” he said, as quoted by tagesschau.

His comments follow a wider debate. Tagesschau reports that Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) Friedrich Merz raised questions in September about Germany’s dual system of statutory and private health insurance. Merz said there was a fairness problem if people came to believe that private patients get preferential treatment, and he suggested there could be changes.

What it means for you

For now, nothing has changed. What Blatt has set out is a demand from the association that represents the statutory insurers. It is not a new law or rule, and the source names no date, deadline or specific measure. Doctors’ practices currently book appointments in the same way as before.

The debate matters most to residents with statutory insurance, the 75 million people Blatt referred to. If you are with a Krankenkasse (statutory health insurance fund) and have found that a practice offers you a later appointment than a privately insured friend or colleague, this is the problem Blatt is describing. According to tagesschau, he sees the gap mainly in waiting times, not in the quality of treatment once you are seen.

If you have private Krankenversicherung (private health insurance), the source does not say that your access to care would be cut. Blatt said explicitly that doctors should keep treating private patients but should not automatically put them first.

For newcomers, it helps to know which system you belong to, because many practices ask about your insurance when you call to book. Your insurance card and the documents from your insurer will tell you whether you are statutorily or privately insured.

What to watch next

The key question is whether the federal government turns Merz’s September remarks into concrete proposals. Tagesschau reports that he held out the prospect of changes to the dual system, but the article gives no details or timeline.

The debate also comes alongside the government’s wider reform of statutory health insurance. Tagesschau has previously reported that this reform package aims to slow rising spending in the health system. Any changes to how appointments are given out could become part of that discussion. Residents with statutory insurance should watch for announcements from the federal government and from their own Krankenkasse.

Source: tagesschau