[Implications of the federal government's austerity package in the field of intramural medical rehabilitation].

The austerity legislation passed September 13, 1996 as well as the additional austerity measures pending for the field of rehabilitation in the framework of legislation aimed at refocusing self-government and self-responsibility in the statutory health insurance scheme (1. und 2. Gesetz zur Neuordnung der Selbstverwaltung und Eigenverantwortung in der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung-1st and 2nd GKV-NOG) are going to jeopardize insurees' provision with medical rehabilitation generally. For 1997 alone, economies totalling some 3.2 billion DM have been legislated. By drastically increasing the additional payments to be made, the insured are to an intolerable extent being subjected to contributing towards the cost of their medical treatment. What is more, the 2nd GKV-NOG is to enable health insurance funds to totally exclude rehabilitation benefits from the standard catalog of benefits to be provided. Along with these spending limitations in the social insurance schemes, additional burdens have been imposed on the insured in gainful employment under regulations in the field of labour law effective as of October 1, 1996 applicable in case of participation in an in-patient rehabilitation measure. Thus, the employer is entitled to make deductions with regard to an employee's claim to continued remuneration during sick leave as well as part of his annual paid recreational leave for the duration of the inpatient rehabilitation measure. The population most adversely affected by this policy are those with chronic illness and disability.