The federal states will demand a new structure for financing the health system at the next financial settlement. Health officials agreed on this at a meeting in Vienna on Friday. In addition, the training key in child and adolescent psychiatry must be changed and finally psychotherapy during sick leave is introduced.
Generally speaking, the federal states are currently responsible for the hospital system and social security funds for the outpatient sector. For the hospital sector, the social security funds only pay a fixed amount – this is valorised annually, whereby this increase is related to the contribution income. However, the annual cost increases would be much higher, Salzburg health councilor Christian Stöckl said at a press conference. “This time we are going to negotiate very clearly that there will be a new financing channel or that there should be a different valorisation.” A “completely new structuring of the financing of our health system” is needed.”
“Stop Playing Ping Pong”
“We want a different division of labor in the federal/state/social security triangle,” said Peter Hacker (SPÖ), Vienna’s alderman for health. They no longer want to have the constant back and forth between the established and hospital sector or between the ambulatory and inpatient sector. “We no longer want to play ping-pong on the backs of the Austrians.”
Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) also said a different concept of health was needed. The delineation “because ambulatory – because inpatient” could no longer exist. A lack of fixed supply inevitably leads people to go to outpatient clinics where they do not belong. He finds it “remarkable” that the countries are not only demanding more money, but are willing to discuss fundamental questions about the distribution of powers and money flows instead of “detailed cosmetics”.
Deficiency in child and adolescent psychiatry
With another requirement, the federal states want to combat the lack of specialists in child and adolescent psychiatry. They ask the Minister of Health to increase the education ratio to one in four (currently one in two). In addition, ‘ordinary’ psychiatrists should also be able to practice in child and adolescent psychiatry by means of additional training.
Hacker demanded that finally something had to go further in psychotherapy on sick leave. 30 years ago, health insurance premiums were levied to provide psychotherapy on sick leave. Since then, not even a general catalog of services has been drawn up – reimbursement works differently in each state. “30 years is enough time to come to an agreement with social security.”
Need more medical study places
The federal states are again demanding an increase in the number of medical university places (currently 1,850). According to the Carinthian Minister of Health Beate Prettner (SPÖ), one could probably use twice as many graduates at the moment. In addition, the medical universities should organize the admission tests differently – the focus is now on the natural sciences. On the other hand, the social aspect must be upgraded.
Source: Krone
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
