title: ["For the welfare of patients"--is this really the case?].
abstract: According to a decision by the German Federal Constitution Court (1 BvR 347/98), it is illegal to refuse compulsorily insured persons therapy if they suffering from a lifethreatening disease against which there is no effective therapy on the basis of current medical science. The chosen method of treatment should offer a not entirely remote chance of healing. What counts is the effect treatment has in each individual case. Serious objections to the the Court's criteria have been expressed by medical and legal experts, who contend that the Court has disregarded patients' protection against unknown risks and "quackery" as well as the incalculable financial effects on the community of insureds.
authors.affiliation: Medizinischen Dienst der Krankenversicherung (MDK) in Bayern, München.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Burkhard
mesh_terms: D002961:Civil Rights / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005858:Germany; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016079:Refusal to Treat / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*