Germany: State proposes compromise on rescue service costs

The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has put forward a proposed compromise to resolve the ongoing dispute over the costs associated with emergency rescue service operations, particularly concerning "false alarms" – incidents where an ambulance is dispatched but no patient is transported to a hospital.

Health insurers have refused to cover these false alarm costs since the beginning of the year. In response, several municipalities threatened to charge patients directly for any ambulance service required. The state's proposal, outlined in a letter from Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) to the state parliament's health committee, aims to bridge this gap.

Under the proposed transitional solution, health insurers would cover half the costs of false alarms, provided that the rate of such incidents does not exceed 15% of all deployments. Currently, many cities experience false alarm rates as high as 25%. In return for this partial cost coverage, municipalities would need to agree to a review of the existing rescue service structures and explore potential cost-saving measures.

Minister Laumann described the proposal as a "viable transitional solution for both health insurers and municipalities." However, the decision to accept and implement this model rests with each individual district and independent city within North Rhine-Westphalia, as the responsibility for the rescue system lies with the municipalities.