Overview

• Health Minister Nina Warken is advancing a Primärarztsystem that makes general practitioners the first point of contact, with a phased rollout to prevent bottlenecks.
• Union figures have floated a €200 charge for self‑booked specialist visits outside the pathway, while some politicians argue for full cost liability and others favor incentive schemes.
• Planned carve‑outs include direct access to ophthalmology and gynecology and exceptions for emergencies, with a specialist appointment guarantee intended to curb delays.
• Supporters cite efficiency gains, including lower per‑patient spending and federal estimates of roughly €2 billion in savings by 2028 from reduced unnecessary visits and hospital days.
• Patient advocates and critics warn of burdens on chronically ill, elderly, low‑income, and rural patients and point to the scrapped Praxisgebühr as a bureaucratic, ineffective precedent.