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Berlin – Homeopathic and anthroposophical medicines as well as homeopathic services should remain included as statutory benefits in statutory health insurance (GKV). This demand is made by the pediatrician and managing director of the Gesundheit aktiv association, Stefan Schmidt-Troschke, in a petition that the Petitions Committee publicly discussed today.

Schmidt-Troschke referred to a draft bill of the Health Care Strengthening Act (GVSG), which had included the abolition of homeopathy as a statutory benefit. The current cabinet draft of the GVSG no longer includes the deletion. However, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had repeatedly indicated that this regulation could be reinstated in the parliamentary process.

This concern is what worries Schmidt-Troschke and was the reason for starting a petition that has been signed by more than 200,000 people. In today’s public hearing, he was able to present his view of the debate: Bundestag members of the committee asked him and the parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), Edgar Franke (SPD), questions. Franke in particular repeatedly stressed in his answers that, in his view, the question of homeopathy in the statutory health insurance system is not currently an issue, as this is no longer included in the cabinet draft. In addition, according to his information, around 70 health insurance companies currently offer homeopathic services and reimbursement of costs as a statutory benefit; the service is not included in standard care.

From Schmidt-Troschke’s point of view, removing homeopathic and anthroposophical medicines and homeopathic services as statutory benefits would be wrong. “People want homeopathy and anthroposophical medicine,” he said. An Allensbach survey from 2023 shows that at least 60 percent of people have already come into contact with homeopathy. “Homeopathy is particularly highly valued by the population,” said the petitioner. It is significant in the debate that the people who use these services and the doctors who offer these services are always discussed, but never with the people affected themselves.

Schmidt-Troschke also addressed the question of costs. He made it clear that these are statutory services that are financed exclusively from the own resources of the health insurance companies that offer them. The solidarity community is not burdened because it is not a standard service. Apart from that, the costs for homeopathy and anthroposophical medicine are 0.03 percent of the total expenditure of the statutory health insurance. Homeopathy is therefore “very cost-effective”.

State Secretary Franke also pointed out at the meeting that the BMG no longer has any direct influence in the current parliamentary process. “The ball is now not in the ministry’s court, but in the political sphere, in other words in yours as a member of parliament,” said Franke. He hopes for a broad public discussion on the topic in which all those involved can contribute, said the BMG State Secretary, who says he has personally had good experiences with homeopathic treatments. These can achieve a lot, especially in the field of pediatric medicine, he said.

The reason that the health minister is critical of the possibility of reimbursement is, on the one hand, the lack of scientific evidence for its effectiveness, said Franke. In addition, patients are being led to believe that it is an effective treatment method. Lauterbach fears that as a result, illnesses may not be adequately treated with conventional medicine. So far, according to BMG State Secretary Franke, no homeopathic medicine has been approved by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) “for which the applicant has proven its effectiveness with a study based on the recognized state of science and technology.”

From the perspective of the petitioner and his accompanying oncologist Diana Steinmann, there is indeed evidence for homeopathy and anthroposophical medicine. Schmidt-Troschke referred to a study led by Thomas Ostermann from the Institute for Psychology and Psychotherapy at the University of Witten/Herdecke, which had produced a positive result “far beyond the placebo effect”. There are positive effects “that cannot yet be explained scientifically,” said the petitioner. But one should not close one’s eyes to the phenomena just because they cannot currently be explained. Steinmann added that there are currently many research groups that are busy trying to prove why the positive effects occur.

Petitioner Schmidt-Troschke and radiation therapist Steinmann jointly emphasized the integrative approach. It makes sense to supplement modern scientific medicine with well-evaluated and researched procedures, said the managing director of the Gesundheit aktiv association. A combination is needed instead of a conflict. “Today we no longer talk about alternative medicine, but about integrative medicine,” said Schmidt-Troschke.

The chairwoman of the Petitions Committee, Martina Stamm-Fibich (SPD), stressed that the committee would not make a decision for or against homeopathy today. The first step would be to hear the positions. The committee would then deal with the petition in a non-public meeting and, if necessary, make a recommendation to the Bundestag plenum to deal with the issue. © bee/EB/aerzteblatt.de