According to Lauterbach, he inherited the deficit from his predecessor. A deficit of 17 billion euros must be resolved by next year. He had negotiated this very intensively with Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP). For a long time, people wondered how to deal with the structural deficit. He explicitly shares the finance minister’s goal to manage without a tax increase and an additional budget.
On the revenue side, a two-billion-euro tax subsidy and a one-billion-euro federal loan and an increase in the additional contribution by 0.3 percentage points are planned.
Three billion drugs
The pharmaceutical industry, which increased its sales by 13 percent and for the first time surpassed the field of medical care in terms of costs, must contribute approximately 3 billion euros in solidarity. From this, the investigating producers should be paid a one-time fee related to the sale of one billion euros. Efficiency-enhancing structural reforms that would have had the same effect were not implemented in the previous legislative period, Lauterbach again criticized his predecessor. Therefore, they must now be compensated. In addition, the AMNOG procedure is thoroughly reviewed.
Pharmacies have thought about where they could contribute to the efficiency reserve. It’s part of the package, Lauterbach said. Lauterbach did not want to give more details, because the draft will now be voted on by the departments.
According to Lauterbach, the transfer of their reserves to the health insurance fund and from there to the offer would help to “save” the health insurance funds. Here he talked about a volume of 2.4 billion euros. Small efficiency reserves should also be increased in administrative costs.
There is no saving contribution of doctors
Lauterbach initially wanted to “fairly distribute the burden” and “treat health care providers fairly” and “burden them more and less,” but that’s not on the agenda: “We’re not going to reduce hospital and physician fees because there’s no wiggle room,” Lauterbach said, citing inflation and its importance to supply. However, adjustments are being made to care and new patient admissions. Lowering the VAT on medicines is off the table. “What’s been in my head doesn’t belong here.”
He did not give a timetable. The fact that he took so long to introduce the bill was because he wanted to wait and see how the general economic situation developed first. “I got everything I wanted.” He no longer expects bad news.
“We are in a difficult situation, but we will overcome it.” Lauterbach spoke of a “good compromise” because performance was not cut and the federal government was not overburdened.