Germany's FDP Calls For Higher Patient Contributions

German Liberal Party (FDP) health spokesman Dieter Thomae has called forhigher patient contributions to health care costs, amid a growing argument inside the Bonn coalition government parties as to whether spending increases can be funded by patients and insured people alone.

Mr Thomae rejected suggestions of a split, saying the parties are united over all questions of health service structure. The point has now been reached, he said, where it must be made clear to people that without increased contributions to costs, the health service can no longer be properly funded.

Meanwhile, the health experts of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the FDP appear agreed on a range of issues including that of drug prescription volume - effectively that of pack size guidelines. They maintain that under the changes to health insurance regimes, doctors and health funds would be obliged to control their drug budgets through a unified system of medically-determined volume guidelines applicable to each prescribing doctor.