“Most of the points in the recently presented plan for a reform of the health insurance system are in his own hands,” reminds Edgar Wutscher, Vice President of the Austrian Medical Association and Chairman of the Federal Curia for Resident Doctors, ÖGK Chairman Andreas Huss, who also addressed the Federal Government this week had presented the addressed “wish package”: “The health insurance fund could have carried out most of the reforms long ago with our consent. Repeated press activities with empty words are of no use to any insured person,” says Wutscher.
In terms of content, Wutscher emphasized that in many cases concrete preparatory work for the planned strengthening of statutory health insurance had already been completed by the medical profession. Instead of flat rates, the Federal Curia is calling for a more performance-enhancing and contemporary form of remuneration. But a bonus for structurally weak areas, the improvement of infrastructure and working conditions, more prevention offers, reduction of bureaucracy – these are all things that the private medical profession has been demanding for years. “However, implementation fails – be it in making health insurance contracts and opening times more flexible, in expanding prevention programs such as the youth pass we are calling for, or in reducing the administrative effort, where, for example, the abolition of the drug approval system is regularly rejected by social security.” says Wutscher.
“If the ÖGK chairman was finally serious about these points, he should implement them quickly. He can be sure of our support,” says Wutscher. As before, the health insurance fund will also be supported in demanding the necessary financial resources from politicians. “I invite Chairman Huss to keep his word and approach the government together with us in order to achieve the best possible care for all insured people in this country,” said Wutscher.
OTS ORIGINAL TEXT PRESS RELEASE UNDER THE EXCLUSIVE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SENDER FOR CONTENT – WWW.OTS.AT | NAE