Primary care system: Practice fee not excluded

Federal Health Minister Nina Warken ( CDU ) also wants to avoid disadvantages for patients with statutory health insurance by more closely controlling specialist appointments . "When scheduling appointments, it should make no difference whether someone is privately or publicly insured," the CDU politician told the Funke Media Group newspapers.

That's why the coalition wants to introduce a primary care physician system . "The family doctor should be the first point of contact and ensure that patients get an appointment with a specialist within a certain timeframe."

Warken pointed out that Germans visit the doctor more often than people in other countries. However, this doesn't mean they are healthier or live longer. "That's why we need more control to avoid unnecessary doctor visits and to provide patients who urgently need them with faster appointments with general practitioners and specialists."

When asked about possible instruments such as a practice fee , Warken said: "There are many ways to manage practice visits so that patients continue to receive good care without placing unnecessary financial burdens on them."

There is also criticism of the plans. Consumer centers, for example, warn of new problems. The head of the federal association, Ramona Pop , told the German Press Agency that the system proposed by the federal government will not solve the difficult access problem. " General practitioners' practices, which are already overburdened, will become bottlenecks. This is not the right approach." Instead, genuine reforms should be initiated to improve care.

The exact design of the model is still open. According to the coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and SPD want to introduce a mandatory " primary doctor system ," in which patients primarily go to a general practitioner's office , which, if necessary, refers them to specialists—with an appointment within a specific time frame. If this isn't possible in a practice, patients should also be able to be treated by specialists in hospitals. This is intended to represent an "appointment guarantee."