[Health promotion in the framework of the health reform legislation--current perspectives for health insurance and municipalities].

This paper describes the perspectives of health promotion within the framework of the basic laws promulgated as of January 1989 in the Federal Republic of Germany. The initial situation, the intentions of the legislator, the performance criteria and the types of organised health promotion on a regional or county (community) basis are described. The new legislation on health promotion opens up new perspectives for compulsory health insurance bodies and regional (community) bodies. The advantages offered thereby must be made use of. The health insurance bodies can revive the principles of self-administration by taking full advantage of all possibilities of creating health promotion facilities. Community bodies must not only bear costs, they are also centrally responsible for health promotion policies to be enforced in their respective regions by organising cooperation between the individual persons and institutions who can regionally act as health policy promoters, and they are expected to bring about a general consensus on health promotion procedures.