Can de-budgeting save primary care in Germany? A turning point for general practice

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Health Policy Pub Date : 2025-08-30 DOI:10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105426

Damon Mohebbi , Rumeysa Yasar , Altina Ademi , Nazmiye Acar , Shadan Rahimpour

引用次数: 0

Abstract

In its last healthcare act, Germany’s previous government abolished budget caps for general practitioners (GPs) in February 2025, exempting most primary care services from quantity limits and fee reductions. Originally introduced in 1993 to control healthcare costs, budgets have led to significant financial shortfalls for outpatient practices. Meanwhile, a worsening GP shortage - driven by high retirement rates, changing career preferences, and increasing healthcare demand - has made primary care reform urgent. The new law seeks to make general practice more attractive but does not cover all GP services. Critics warn of financial burdens, with health insurers estimating additional annual costs of €400 million for GPs. While de-budgeting is a key step, broader reforms - strengthening practice structures, medical education, and digital systems - are needed to secure the future of primary care.

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削减预算能拯救德国的初级保健吗？这是全科医学的转折点

在上一项医疗法案中，德国上届政府于2025年2月取消了全科医生（gp）的预算上限，免除了大多数初级保健服务的数量限制和费用减免。最初于1993年引入，以控制医疗保健费用，预算已导致门诊实践严重的财政短缺。与此同时，由于高退休率、不断变化的职业偏好和不断增长的医疗需求，全科医生短缺日益严重，这使得初级保健改革迫在眉睫。新法律旨在使全科医生更具吸引力，但并不涵盖所有全科医生服务。批评人士警告说，医疗保险公司估计，全科医生每年的额外成本将达到4亿欧元。虽然削减预算是关键的一步，但需要更广泛的改革——加强实践结构、医学教育和数字系统——以确保初级保健的未来。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Health Policy 医学-卫生保健

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

6.10%

发文量

157

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Health Policy is intended to be a vehicle for the exploration and discussion of health policy and health system issues and is aimed in particular at enhancing communication between health policy and system researchers, legislators, decision-makers and professionals concerned with developing, implementing, and analysing health policy, health systems and health care reforms, primarily in high-income countries outside the U.S.A.