Health insurance wants solidarity contribution from doctors – Diepresse.com
The ÖGK wants to save in the administration, but because they only make up two percent of the cash expenditure, this is not sufficient. « We also want to talk about how a solidarity of the medical profession can look like for these two years, » said chairman Peter McDonald.
Due to the economy of lower contributions with increasing expenses, the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) are increasingly bringing to financing nuts. Chairman Peter McDonald now wants to take countermeasures, through administrative savings, but also with the expenditure for the contractual partners. He hopes for a solidarity contribution from the doctors this year and next year, as he explained in the APA interview. The countries should also pay.
« For us, the question in the Austrian health insurance fund is how we secure top medicine on E-Card for every person living in Austria for the next few decades, » he said: « And of course we have a financial imbalance that we cannot ignore and do not want to ignore. »
Increased expenses for doctors
The recession ensures more unemployment and thus lower contributions. In addition, the aging including more visits to the doctor (plus 15 percent in the past five years) and the trend towards outpatient services for which the cash register is financially responsible. While economic growth has increased by 30 percent, additional expenses for doctors grew by 40 percent. Austria is also one of only two countries that make it accessible to its insured 100 percent of medical progress at cash costs: « And we want to keep that. »
The problem with all of this is the recession, says McDonald (ÖVP), who, as an employer representative, shares the chairman every six months with employee representatives Andreas Huss (SPÖ). The forecasts showed that real economic growth was probably not to be expected until 2027. The consequence: 2025 and 2026 are « where everyone will have to make a contribution ».
« Medically not indicated services »
The ÖGK wants to save in the administration, but because it only makes up two percent of the cash expenditure, this is not sufficient. That is why McDonald wants to go into dialogue with the doctors and other contractual partners. « We will not be able to spend more sustainably than we take, » he emphasized. It is about « medically not indicated services » such as double examinations at CT and MR, but also ambulance. In addition, the ÖGK chairman wants to discuss better patient control through more attractive outpatient offers and telemedicine.
But that’s not all. « We also want to talk about how a solidarity contribution from the medical profession for these two years can look. » Additional benefits due to higher patient frequencies were to be rejected to the doctors, but the medical profession must also accommodate the insured person’s solidarity community. « We will have to move together very closely these two years, so that not performance restrictions would not be necessary for the insured that we do not want. »
Dialogue also with the countries
McDonald also wants to open the dialogue with the countries that are responsible for care in the hospitals. The cash register is now planning new outpatient forms of supply in the specialist area, for example for diabetes treatment, pain therapy or in chronic diseases, but wants to finance them together with the federal states. Finally, this further relieves the hospital area, argues by the ÖGK.
Last but not least, McDonald also wants to Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) Talk to be able to invest more in the provision. In parallel-and away from the light of the public-work is carried out on contract negotiations: for an Austria-wide overall medical contract with a new service catalog, but also for an Amalgamer replacement agreement with the dentists for the ÖGK insured. (APA)
