The traffic light is combating heart disease in this manner.
The German federal government is declaring war on the leading cause of fatalities in the nation: With the recently proposed "Heart Health Act," the ruling coalition is focusing on prevention, particularly for heart attacks and strokes. The proposed measures are causing unease among health insurance providers.
Regular screenings for early detection and enhanced access to cholesterol-reducing medications are part of the traffic light coalition's strategy to enhance cardiovascular disease prevention. The federal government endorsed a related draft of the "Heart Health Act," which now falls to the Bundestag to consider. "This law will save countless lives in Germany," stated Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. Cardiologists approved of the law, but critics emerged from the health insurance sector.
Heart and circulatory system diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, are the leading cause of death in Germany, accounting for approximately one-third of all fatalities. According to the Federal Statistical Office, approximately 348,000 individuals lost their lives to these diseases in 2023. The financial burden on the German healthcare system is also substantial: in 2020, it totaled nearly 57 billion euros - cardiovascular diseases surpassed all other illnesses in this regard.
The Federal Ministry of Health also cites research indicating that up to 70% of these diseases are attributable to an unhealthy lifestyle - poor diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption. Lauterbach aims to address this issue with his legislation. He stressed that cardiological care in Germany is not the issue but rather "excellent," but "what's lacking is preventive medicine."
Health insurers are concerned about the high costs
In the future, children, adolescents, and adults are slated for routine examinations to identify and prevent anomalies. It is also planned that insured individuals will have extended access to medications for nicotine cessation, and doctors will have an easier time prescribing cholesterol-lowering drugs. Lauterbach anticipates that this will "improve life expectancy." His ministry has "very closely" followed the recommendations of the German Society of Cardiology (DGK), which welcomed the law as a "positive first step."
In Germany, relatively little is invested in the prevention and early detection of cardiovascular diseases, said DGK board member and cardiologist Stephan Baldus during the law's presentation. This is "a crucial foundation for improving heart health" in Germany.
However, health insurers have voiced their concerns. They anticipate substantial costs. "The proposed measures do not enhance heart health, but further strain the already precarious financial position of statutory health insurance," warned the chairwoman of the AOK federal association, Carola Reimann. An additional 3.8 billion euros in expenses are expected.
The law is "misguided," according to the association of statutory health insurers (GKV). With the draft, prevention structures developed over the years with contribution funds would be jeopardized. The prevention programs of the insurers had not yielded the anticipated results, said Lauterbach. He does not expect "significant additional costs" - as costs from these programs would be shifted to the new measures.
CDU calls for a sports campaign and healthier eating
Criticism also emerges from within the Union and the Greens. "Medications taken for years with their side effects should not become the primary focus," said CDU health policy spokesman Tino Sorge. "Instead, it's time to launch a genuine campaign for more exercise and a balanced, healthy diet, and to expand existing prevention structures."
The law should help with early detection and strengthen prevention, said Green Party MP Renate Künast: "So far, so good. In my opinion, however, we should start much earlier." Prevention begins with the causes. "That is, where it can already be prevented that more and more children and young people consume excessive amounts of sugar and unhealthy food daily, and the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases."
Therefore, the cabinet must "finally" pass the law promoting children's protection in advertising. "So that children and young people are not lured into unhealthy food at every turn and do not even develop nutrition-related diseases." The corresponding bill was introduced by Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir in February of the previous year.
Despite the CDU's suggestion for a sports campaign and healthier eating, the proposed "Heart Health Act" focuses on providing regular screenings and extended access to medications for prevention. Additionally, other vehicles, such as health insurance providers, have expressed concerns about the potential financial burden of these measures.
