Concerted action in health care
The Concerted Action in Health Care (KAiG) was established with the law to dampen the development of expenditure and to improve the structure of the statutory health insurance ( Health Insurance Cost Attenuation Act - KVKG) of June 27, 1977 (then § 405a Reich Insurance Code , later § 141 SGB V ).
The KAiG was the result of a compromise between the social-liberal government and the opposition of the CDU / CSU, which at that time provided the majority in the Federal Council. The draft law of the federal government did not contain the KAiG, but more far-reaching ideas for cost containment. The Federal Council then called the Mediation Committee and its recommendation for a resolution led to the KAiG.
The law stipulated that representatives of the health insurance companies and the association of private health insurance, doctors, dentists, hospital operators, pharmacists, drug manufacturers, trade unions and employers' associations, states and municipalities, health workers and medicine providers, the spa and bathing sector, the nursing professions, the free Welfare, disability and consumer associations should be involved. The Federal Ministry of Economics , the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs were involved.
The KAiG existed from 1977 to 2003 as a legally provided institution of central participating associations in the health care system in order to bring about cost containment in the health care system. It was abolished again at the end of 2003 with the Statutory Health Insurance Modernization Act.
The members of the KAiG were appointed by the responsible Federal Ministry (until 1991 the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, then the Federal Ministry of Health ).
The aim of the KAiG was to achieve measures to limit expenditure in the health care system through voluntary agreements. The members of the KAiG usually met twice a year. they should
- determine medical and economic orientation data
- Develop proposals for increasing the performance, effectiveness and economy in the healthcare sector
- Make recommendations on the individual care areas, in particular on changes to remuneration in these areas.
While numerous recommendations were passed in the first years of the KAiG, the willingness of those involved to reach agreement later declined. From the mid-1990s, the KAiG was therefore no longer convened. It was noted by observers that the model of reaching an understanding about cuts for those affected through corporate actions corresponds to an outmoded picture of the economy and society; the elimination of the KAiG is therefore logical.
With the Health Reform Act of 1988, the legal basis for a Council of Experts (Council of Experts for Concerted Action in Health Care; SVRKAiG) was laid to support the concerted action. With the abolition of the concerted action by the GMG, the legal basis was changed accordingly and the committee has since been operating as the “ Expert Council for the Assessment of Developments in the Health Care System ”.