Germany health infographic1/7/2024 ![]() ![]() The Federal Joint Committee is also responsible for health care quality assurance. ![]() As the central entity of federal-level self-governance, the Federal Joint Committee makes decisions concerning which medical services will be covered by the statutory insurers and what form that coverage will take. It includes members representing doctors, dentists, psychotherapists, the statutory insurers, hospitals and patients. When it comes to matters concerning statutory health insurance, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is the highest decision-making body within the self-governing health care system. The Paul Ehrlich Institute is responsible for approving vaccines. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices makes decisions concerning the approval of pharmaceuticals. The Ministry of Health directs a number of institutions and agencies responsible for dealing with higher-level issues of public health, such as the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices ( "Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte" – BfArM) and the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI). Its tasks include developing laws and drawing up administrative guidelines for the self-governing activities within the health care system. The Federal Ministry of Health ( "Bundesministerium für Gesundheit" – BMG) is responsible for policy-making at the federal level. Structure and institutions of the health care system The legal basis of these five branches can be found in the German Social Code ( "Sozialgesetzbücher"). It covers part of the costs for nursing care and assistance if these services are needed. Long-term care insurance – the fifth branch of the social insurance system – was not introduced until 1995. These funds are used to pay retirement pensions, disability pensions and rehabilitation costs for employees. Statutory pension funds are funded in equal parts by employees and employers. Accident insurance is also compulsory for employees, but it is funded solely by employers. Unemployment insurance was introduced in 1927.Īccident insurance covers things like medical services needed for work-related accidents or illnesses, and includes payments in the event of work-related disability or death. The introduction of health insurance in 1883 was closely followed by the introduction of statutory accident insurance (1884) and pension funds (1889). At that time, about 10 percent of the population had health insurance – compared to nearly 100 percent in Germany now. Its primary goal was to provide insurance in the event of illness, mainly for workers involved in both industrial and non-industrial production.Īnyone who was insured was granted the right to free medical treatment and medicine, as well as sickness benefits and a funeral allowance. Health insurance was introduced first, in 1883. These different forms of social insurance were then standardized through Otto von Bismarck’s social policies in the late nineteenth century. There were also insurance funds organized for factory workers as early as the beginning of the industrial revolution. The guilds provided an early form of health insurance based on the principle of solidarity: All guild members paid into a fund which was then used to help individual members if they had financial difficulties, for instance because of an illness. The beginnings of the German health care system can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when craftsmen were members of guilds. A bit of history: The five branches of social welfare ![]()
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