Erfurt (dpa/th) – According to the Barmer health insurance company, people in Thuringia are sicker than the population of all other federal states. In terms of the frequency and severity of diseases, Thuringia is almost a third above the national average, the cash register announced on Wednesday in Erfurt. For example, the Free State has the highest rate of heart disease nationwide. Statistically, 362 out of 1,000 people have heart disease. Across Germany there are 258 out of 1000 people. The health insurance company referred to data from its insured persons from 2020, according to a spokesman, more current data is not yet available. Outpatient treatments, hospital admissions and drug prescriptions were evaluated.
Barmer’s assessment corresponds to that of doctors. The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Thuringia (KV) has repeatedly pointed out that general practitioner practices here treat significantly more patients than practices in other federal states. According to the KV, this is related to the higher average age of the population – old people are more susceptible to illness, and treatment is often more complex.
According to Barmer, the healthiest people in Thuringia live in Jena and in Eichsfeld. But even in these regions, the disease burden is higher than the national average, it said. The people in the Gera and Suhl as well as in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt have to fight hardest with diseases. Barmer has around 200,000 insured persons in Thuringia.
