Health expenditures are still skidding - April 27, 2010
Bad news for the government. The health insurance spending increased in the first quarter 2010 by 4.1% over the same period in 2009. This level is well above the national target (ONDAM) set last October by Parliament for the whole year to 3%. Worse, the rate of growth of health spending reached 4.7% a year (March 2009-March 2010).
This quarterly increase is mainly due to increase in reimbursements of ambulatory care (4%) on the first three months of the year. Care paramedics have particular jumped 8.2% (against 7% over the last twelve months) with a peak even at 13.3% for nursing costs alone unsecured personal loans.The drug delivery has also increased significantly (3.7%) in the first quarter, as the daily allowances are rising again (+6.1% in the first quarter, against 4.8% over the past twelve month) in particular because "payments linked to the outbreak of H1N1 in late 2009.
In contrast, expenditure on medical and dental fees have risen more moderately in the first quarter of 2010 as the year: + 0.9%, against 1.8% in one year. A slowdown explained by health insurance through "the decline in reimbursements of medical care (-1.9%) due to an epidemic situation lower than in 2009.