2024-01-31 15:55:32
ÖVP and FPÖ defend social security reform
Vienna (PK) – The domestic health system is “cracking at every turn,” criticize the Social Democrats. They therefore wanted to set a deadline for the Health Committee to process their application to redeem the promised billion for patients and demanded National Council a short debate on this.
SPÖ health spokesman Philip Kucher particularly urged that an appointment guarantee for medical services also be implemented in Austria. The ÖVP and FPÖ health spokesmen once once more defended the merger of the health insurance companies and underlined the potential for savings and service harmonization. The Green side emphasized the improvements brought regarding by the current healthcare reform. The NEOS generally criticized the Austrian cash register system. The SPÖ’s motion to set a deadline did not find a majority.
SPÖ: Implementation of the appointment guarantee through billion patients
According to the SPÖ, a lack of staff, long waiting times for operations and a lack of financial resources are the current problems in the health system. Especially during the black-blue government periods, millions were withdrawn from the health sector and enormous damage was caused by the “dismantling of the health insurance companies”. The promised billion in patients was never fulfilled. It is therefore necessary that this money finally flows, that risk structure compensation is created between the health insurance providers and that the assessment rate for pensioners in the ÖGK is raised, the Social Democrats demand in one Motion for a resolution. The applicants are convinced that this would allow services to be harmonized and expanded and adequate outpatient care for the population to be ensured. In addition, it might then be possible to implement an appointment guarantee for all insured persons.
Philip Kucher (SPÖ) said that a report by the Court of Auditors had shown that the billions of patients promised when the health insurance companies were merged never arrived. Those who suffer are the people who are desperately waiting for appointments with doctors. Kucher urged that the appointment guarantee with guaranteed maximum waiting times for medical services, which is already possible in Scandinavian countries, also be implemented in Austria. This also requires more doctors. If you don’t act today, you will be heading towards a dramatic shortage of doctors in a few years, said Kucher. The SPÖ therefore wanted to give the Health Committee a deadline of February 27, 2024 to deal with their application, but their request remained in the minority.
Karin Greiner (SPÖ) described the promises made in the healthcare system as “pure deception”. After the health insurance companies were merged, it was not possible to generate €1 billion for patients through “savings in the system”. The promised harmonization of services does not exist either. Due to the lack of statutory health insurance doctors, more and more patients are having to switch to elective doctors and pay them – in addition to the health insurance contributions. The SPÖ does not want to accept that, said Greiner.
ÖVP defends merger of health insurance companies
Josef Smolle from the ÖVP defended the social security reform passed in 2018. It is not a question of a “break-up”, but rather a merger, he emphasized. The promised patient billion has now reached the insured several times. Smolle also stated that the administrative costs in the social security institutions are only 2%. The rest goes to the patients. He sees no shortage of doctors. It is important to make the statutory health insurance system attractive and to attract doctors to it. Negotiations for a uniform overall contract for established statutory health insurance physicians are ongoing and a good solution is possible, said Smolle optimistically.
FPÖ: Health insurance reform has eliminated injustice
Gehard Kaniak (FPÖ) emphasized that the social security reform of the black-blue federal government was a structural reform. This eliminated the injustice that insured people received a wide variety of benefits depending on the federal state in which they were insured. In addition, Kaniak was convinced that savings of €1 billion might have been achieved within five years. The problem is that the reform was not implemented as planned following the end of the black-blue government. Organizations close to the SPÖ in particular “torpedoed” the reform from the start, and implementation was ultimately stopped. In his view, free government participation is needed so that the reform can be implemented as originally intended for the benefit of patients.
Greens: Problems don’t arise overnight
Ralph Schallmeiner (Greens) called for differentiation in the debate. Because the problems in the health care system, which he does not want to downplay, did not arise overnight and are not related to a single event – the merger of the health insurance funds. But Schallmeiner also criticized this reform. The FPÖ was not concerned with the well-being of the patients, but rather with “shattering” the structures. The Greens, on the other hand, have implemented a health care reform that is worthy of the name, said Schallmeiner, citing the tender for 100 new health insurance offices and the changes to primary care facilities as examples.
NEOS with criticism of the Austrian cash register system
Ralph Schallmeiner’s speech was the closest to the truth of all speeches, said Gerald Loacker (NEOS). He recalled that employer and employee representatives would fill the positions in the social security systems. What benefits the insured receive or not is the result of “what black business representatives and red worker representatives fabricate in the coffers,” says Loacker. The low proportion of administrative costs arises from the fact that some administrative activities are also carried out on the medical services item. The health insurance system in Austria is still unfair and inconsistent even following the reform, said the MP. In his opinion, it is best for those insured if they can choose their own health insurance fund. Because then the health insurance companies would have to take care of their customers and offer better, faster services. Loacker pointed to similar systems in Switzerland and the Netherlands. (Continuation of the National Council) kar
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