/Vittorio Gravino, stock.adobe.com
Berlin The legislature convened the National Prevention Conference (NPK) introduced in 2015 to address the issue of prevention in Germany. In the opinion of those responsible for statutory health, accident and pension insurance as well as social long-term care insurance, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is jeopardizing previous efforts with the Healthy Heart Act (GHG).
Unfortunately, the current draft suggests that the legislature is limited to early detection of disease risks and in particular to the area of medical care, instead of making greater use of the potential of related preventive measures, according to a statement by the NPK. It also criticizes the plan to use prevention funds for medicines.
The health insurers’ preventive services are based on a scientifically proven combination of behavioral offerings to strengthen competencies for a health-promoting lifestyle and support services to create health-promoting conditions in living environments such as communities, kindergartens and companies, emphasized Stefanie Stoff-Ahnis, Vice Chairwoman of the Board National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds.
The federal government’s plans to reduce available financial resources in favor of increased medicalization are a fatal sign for prevention. It would be much more important to launch political initiatives that guarantee health-promoting living conditions for citizens. In this way, the prevention services of health insurance companies could develop their full effects.
To grow up healthy and spend a working life, lifestyle promotion measures should be strengthened rather than weakened, said Jrg Heinel, President of the Social Insurance Agency for Agriculture, Forestry and Horticulture (SVLFG). Preventive care is particularly important and effective, especially in the area of nutrition. Even in childhood, it is necessary to focus more on growing up healthy and therefore on a healthy diet.
The German pension insurance advocates a health-in-all-policies approach. For this to be successful, a sensible interconnection of health promotion, prevention and medical rehabilitation services must be considered and taken into account at an early stage, in accordance with the principle of prevention before rehabilitation before retirement.
Given that lifestyle factors and thus primary prevention play a crucial role in cardiovascular diseases, preventive approaches and the promotion of individual health literacy should be further expanded. They can contribute to effective prevention in the long term, said Brigitte Gross, Director of the German Pension Insurance Federation.
Anyone who reduces prevention to preventive medicine is missing out on the potential for a demographically resilient health system, stressed Timm Genett, Director General PKV Association. Germany must not waste any more time.
We now need a holistic prevention strategy that enhances cooperation among prevention stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels and functionally integrates the various approaches: Health in All Policies, relationship, and behavioral prevention.
The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) plans to use the Heart Act to, among other things, pay for smoking cessation medication prescriptions, statin prescriptions, early detection and medical prevention recommendations from funds available for primary prevention.
Critics stress that there will be no money left for preventive measures. Health insurance companies also fear that the approximately 110,000 certified courses offered by more than 67,000 providers will then be on the brink of extinction. © EB/aerzteblatt.de