Redner(in): Angela Merkel
Datum: 24.06.2006
Anrede: Anrede,
Quelle (evtl. nicht mehr verfügbar): http://www.bundesregierung.de/nn_914560/Content/DE/Archiv16/Rede/2006/06/2006-06-24-wortlaut-der-video-botschaft-von-merkel-zur-gesundheitsreform-englische-fassung,layoutVariant=Druckansicht.html
Fellow citizens,
One of the most important reforms we in the Federal Government intend to carry out is health sector reform. Why is there no way around this issue?
Our health care system is respected throughout the world. But costs are rising and the public health funds are in the red. Life expectancy has increased considerably during the past hundred years. And it continues to rise. Naturally, the growing number of older citizens will result in a much greater burden on health insurance funds.
At the same time, the number of contributors is steadily diminishing. That will remain the case for the birth rate has been falling for many years now. That means that there is less money for health insurance.
I want to ensure that everyone continues to receive the medical care they need irrespective of their income. But we need more competition and less bureaucracy in the health sector to ensure that quality continues to rise and financial resources are used more efficiently.
Our health care system must become more transparent: those who pay contributions must be able to see what happens to their money. And it must be made easier to transfer to another fund. What I want are informed patients who can choose the right health care for themselves. Of course this also includes free choice of doctors.
We also want more competition between those who treat patients, that is to say competition to provide the best care. There should also be more competition in the field of medicine and medical technology. Conquering illness is a wonderful task. I regard it as one of the key sectors of the future.
We want to organize the health care system in such a way that everyone can benefit from advances in this sphere without pushing up labour costs in Germany, in particular non-wage labour costs, even further. Our task is to create a health care system based on solidarity which minimizes the risks for every individual.
We will decide on the key features of health sector reform in early July. We are addressing this issue very seriously and working intensively to find a solution. For we do not want to face the same problems a few years down the line and have to start all over again. I am confident that we will manage to bring this major reform project to a successful conclusion.
