(de-news.net) – Medical and patient advocacy organizations have expressed strong opposition to the proposal by the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) to reintroduce a fee for each medical consultation. The initiative, intended to curb excessive physician visits and stabilize healthcare expenditures and insurance contributions, has been widely criticized as lacking in both social equity and conceptual rigor.

Critics argue that there is insufficient empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of such a fee in achieving its intended economic outcomes. Moreover, they warn that the measure could undermine equitable access to healthcare services, particularly for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.

The German Association of General Practitioners thus cautioned that chronically ill patients, who require frequent medical attention, would be disproportionately affected. This could lead to a reduction in necessary consultations, with adverse consequences for public health. Conversely, the German Foundation for Patient Protection dismissed the proposal as a reiteration of a previously ineffective policy, noting that the practice fee abolished in 2012 failed to produce meaningful fiscal restraint.