Erfurt (dpa/th) – In Thuringia, so far this year, 257 people without their own health insurance have received medical help for acute health problems via an anonymous health insurance certificate. This made 337 treatments possible, said the coordination center of the Anonymous Health Insurance Aid Network on Monday. Among the people who were helped were around 100 refugees from Ukraine, said project coordinator Carola Wlodarski. In particular, they needed medication.
The anonymous health insurance certificate for acute illnesses has been available in Thuringia since 2017. The offer is aimed, for example, at German citizens who have lost their insurance cover. According to Wlodarski, this often affects people who previously had private health insurance but could no longer afford the contributions. EU citizens and people from third countries without sufficient health insurance coverage or legal residency status also received medical help in this way.
The anonymous health insurance card is issued by 35 doctors who support the network. The treatment is possible with the certificate in all Thuringian medical and dental practices and hospitals. In addition to the costs for acute treatment, those for pregnant women, for vaccinations recommended by the Standing Vaccination Commission and preventive services from the list of services provided by statutory health insurance companies are also covered by the state.
According to Wlodarski, 350,000 euros are available for the aid project this year, including treatment and personnel costs. For comparison: The costs alone for outpatient and inpatient treatment for those with statutory health insurance in Thuringia are around 3 billion euros a year. Since 2017, the treatment costs for 1182 people in 2021 cases have been borne by the anonymous health insurance certificate.
