Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) plans to completely defund the medical association. She wants to defend herself, but is under time pressure. Laws must be passed in December.
After months of internal wrangling, the medical association is now in for a rude awakening. Politicians plan to completely disempower professional representation, and at a rapid pace.
Laws must be passed in December
Several legislative changes are expected to be introduced in parliament in just two weeks and passed in December. No assessment may take place.
One possible reason for the rush: The medical association should not have time to campaign against the plans. In any case, resistance is to be expected. The House held an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening. The medical profession says they will not tolerate this.
Chamber will soon lose the right to have a say
“Our social partnership has ended, which is a disaster,” Dietmar Bayer, president of the Federal Curia, summarized the events. Central to the planned reform is that the medical association loses its control over the entire contracts with the health insurer. This means that she no longer has any say over the doctor’s job plan or the design of outpatient clinics.
“This should have happened much earlier,” says health economist Ernest Pichlbauer in an interview with the “Krone”. The medical association brutally used its former power and blocked everything for decades. “That’s why we have such a big reform backlog now.” Pichlbauer expects that doctors will try to exploit patients to prevent the reforms. But that won’t work, because the mood in the room is crumbling.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
