Hospitals - Appeals from clinics and districts due to mountainous debts
To save Baden-Württemberg's clinics from a financial collapse and prevent it from being a burden for many households, the federal government and the states must financially and massively support them from the perspective of the hospital association and the communal associations. The current economic situation of the Hospitals is as challenging as ever, warned the chairman of the Baden-Württemberg Hospital Association (BWKG), Landrat Heiner Scheffold.
Under the umbrella of the association, there are 478 providers with 197 Hospitals, 133 preventive and rehabilitation institutions, and 807 nursing homes.
Call for emergency program
The umbrella organization of the counties is again sounding the alarm about the financial situation of the clinics in the state. In many regions, the counties carry the local hospitals – and thus the deficits. If the federal government does not intervene – as is foreseeable – the land will have to establish a 300 million euro emergency program this year to ensure patient care.
Details about the situation at the hospitals and the demands will be made public by the county and city associations, as well as the BWKG, at 11:00 am in Stuttgart.
The Federal Government is asked to increase hospital funding
The chairman of the County Association (Landkreistag), Joachim Walter (CDU), the president of the City Association (Stadetag), Frank Mentrup (SPD), and the BWKG are demanding that the federal government transfer more money for made investments. "To meet the demand, the annual investment financing must be increased by at least 300 million euros from 2025," it says in a corresponding paper. A necessary increase in the so-called flat-rate funding by at least 100 million euros to 260 million euros per year is also required.
The Hospital Association last warned in April of an uncontrollable hospital death and requested financial support. "85 percent of the hospitals in the state are forecasting high deficits for 2024," Scheffold said. Due to the poorer results of the previous year than expected, the clinics are missing more than 1.5 billion euros in the years 2023 and 2024.
Krankenhausreform not yet passed
With a contested hospital reform, the federal government intends to reduce financial pressure on hospitals and anchor uniform quality regulations. For this, the previously flat-rate funding for treatment cases is to be changed.
In the future, hospitals should receive 60 percent of the funding for the retention of certain offers. The financing through health insurance funds should also be based on more precisely defined "performance groups." They should describe hospital treatments more accurately and set minimum requirements.
The states – including Baden-Württemberg – are demanding unanimous changes to the plans. The draft is now in the consultations in the Bundestag. The law is to come into force at the beginning of 2025, and the implementation is to follow in the following years.
- The urgent need for financial aid was highlighted by the Baden-Württemberg Hospital Association (BWKG) and the communal associations, as they expressed concerns about the mounting debts of the 197 hospitals in the state, collectively referred to as 'Hospitals'.
- To address the financial crisis at the hospitals, the umbrella organization of the counties has proposed a 300 million euro emergency program, given the likelihood of the federal government not providing sufficient support.
- To alleviate the financial strain on hospitals, the chairman of the County Association (Landkreistag), Joachim Walter, along with the president of the City Association (Stadetag), Frank Mentrup, and the BWKG, have called for an increase in hospital funding, specifically requesting a 300 million euro increase in investment financing from 2025.
- In the upcoming hospital reform, the federal government aims to reduce financial pressure on hospitals by changing the flat-rate funding for treatment cases to a percentage-based system, with hospitals receiving 60% of funding for retaining certain services. However, Baden-Württemberg, among other states, is demanding unanimous changes to the plans before the law can be enacted in 2025.
