title: Effects of the Statutory Health Insurance Modernization Act on the supply and expenditure situation in cases of assisted reproductive technologies in Germany.
abstract: In the present retrospective analysis of outpatient health insurance members of the Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) in total and a subgroup of the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), the effect of the commencement of the SHI Modernization Act (so-called GMG) on the supply and expenditure situation regarding assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in Germany was examined. The implementation of the GMG in Germany in 2004 resulted in a conspicuous decrease of infertility treatments (from 2002-2005 by approximately 60% in the whole SHI population, and by 55% in the TK) for couples with involuntary childlessness, whereby the extremely raised compulsory copayments to the insurance benefits were identified as the determining factor.
authors.affiliation: WINEG, TK Scientific Institute for benefit and efficiency, Hamburg, Germany. edietrich@healththecon.com
authors.forename: Eva Susanne
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: Wenke
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wevers
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies