Overview
- Officials suspended about 28,000 planned fee notices for ambulance and emergency doctor calls, including retroactive bills for 2025 and 2026, after new talks with insurers and the state health ministry.
- The dispute totals roughly €10 million for Dahme-Spreewald, and the district says it has already offered several million but cannot commit more under its budget.
- There is no final deal yet, with both sides reporting a rapprochement and more negotiating sessions planned this week.
- Earlier plans would have made patients pay first and then seek reimbursement from their health insurer, prompting warnings this could deter some people from dialing 112 in an emergency.
- Cottbus has already reached a separate agreement that blocks any notices, and the state health minister says that deal shows compromise is possible as other districts and a federal reform seek clearer rules for non-transport ambulance runs.