“Then the things that are urgently needed can be financed,” said Huss on Sunday in the ORF press hour. Specifically, he means, among other things, the expansion of the private practice area, a new overall contract with a uniform catalog of services and the expansion of psychosocial care.
More on the topic
Coalition: First round black-red has been completed, everything is open
According to the ÖGK chairman’s ideas, the increase in funds for social insurance should be successful by increasing the state health insurance contribution for pensioners by one billion euros. However, he refuses to consider increasing contributions. To strengthen the practice area, Huss once again referred to the plan to set up 300 primary care centers by 2030 and 800 additional statutory health insurance doctor positions.
Supply center in every state capital as a destination
The ÖGK also wants to expand its own supply centers, said Huss. There are currently five such centers in Vienna, two more have been decided; the aim is to set up a supply center in every state capital. According to Huss, the cost for this would be 150 million euros. In addition, the ÖGK also wants to “put psychosocial care on a completely new footing”. To this end, they want to set up a psychosocial care center for children and young people and one for adults as a first point of contact in all 32 supply regions.
Video: Dissatisfaction among family doctors
Huss believes that the ongoing negotiations regarding the overall contract between the ÖGK and the Medical Association are on the right track. Huss said he hopes that the new catalog of services will be ready next year. There is broad agreement on the type of cooperation and the catalog of services. “The biggest plank” that still needs to be drilled is the fee catalog. Huss was unable to quantify the additional costs for the Austria-wide catalog of services including a uniform fee system. But he is assuming a three-digit million amount per year, says Huss.
Babler promise is “very realistic”
Huss considers the implementation of SPÖ leader Andreas Babler’s election promise, a guarantee of a specialist appointment within two weeks, to be “very realistic”. In any case, this could be implemented if more doctors were brought into the system as planned, he said. The ÖGK chairman himself has no ambitions for the office of health minister in the future government. Huss said he had just agreed to carry out his role in the ÖGK for another five years and was therefore working well to capacity.
Huss defended hospital closures, such as those that recently caused a stir in Lower Austria. In Lower Austria and other federal states, the hospital density is very high. In addition, the hospital burden in the entire Austrian health system is very high compared to international standards, while admissions and the need for hospital stays are decreasing and hospitals are becoming more and more specialized.
