[Path to health insurance coverage - The Clearing Center 1.0 at the Public Health Authority in Frankfurt am Main].

Abstract

Nationwide, an estimated 500,000 to 1 million people are not insured and therefore lack access to regular health structures, which can have fatal consequences for the health of those affected. Especially in large cities, there are low-threshold medical outpatient clinics that offer basic health care parallel to the regular system. Sustainable solutions for ensuring adequate healthcare are lacking. Clearing centers (German: Clearingstelle), serving as contact points for people without health insurance coverage, and the concept of an Anonymous Treatment Voucher (German: Anonymer Behandlungsschein; ABS), bridge the gap between parallel and regular health systems. With the pilot implementation of "Clearing Center 1.0" at the Public Health Authority in Frankfurt am Main from 2020 to 2022, the basic medical care of Humanitarian Consultation Hour was complemented by professional social counseling with the aim of referring as many individuals as possible to the statutory regular system. The expansion of the counseling services and the permanent establishment of the clearing center in Frankfurt am Main are declared goals for the Public Health Authority.