Berlin vote on healthcare reform reveals lack of concept in state government
The voting behavior of Minister President Rehlinger in the Bundesrat on the reform of statutory health insurance (GKV) can be well described by the saying "indicate right, turn left." Angelika Hießerich-Peter, state chairwoman of the FDP Saar, can only shake her head about the back and forth in Saarland regarding the GKV contribution rate stabilization law:
[advertisement placement="medium_rectangle" align="left"]“Prime Minister Rehlinger initially expressed great concerns in the Bundesrat and clearly advocated for the involvement of the Mediation Committee in front of the media and television cameras – only to ultimately approve the law. This is not a negotiation strategy; it is a lack of concept. Perhaps also a misunderstood party discipline of the Social Democrat. How can a politician who initially states the problems this reform creates for our clinics, practices, and service providers, give in so readily in the end?”
Hießerich-Peter emphasizes in her criticism the increasing burdens on the middle class and the healthcare industry in Saarland: "Higher co-payments, decreasing subsidies for dental prostheses, limited family insurance – these affect people in the region very concretely. Anyone who has been running a business for 25 years knows exactly: austerity packages born out of short-term necessity do not solve structural problems. They only postpone them."
[advertisement placement="medium_rectangle" align="right"]The FDP Saar demands a clear liberal course: real structural reforms instead of patchwork solutions and a noticeable relief for contributors instead of vague announcements for sometime in the future…
"The Saar government should have taken a clear stand in Berlin – for the people and businesses here in the state. Instead, there was a decisive 'both and'. We can no longer afford this half-heartedness in view of the situation of the statutory health insurance," concludes the FDP state chairwoman.
