German Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprised attendees at a press conference yesterday with remarks about the need to care about “justice” in the health sector. “If the impression takes hold that those with private health insurance receive every benefit immediately, while those with public health insurance have to wait weeks or months for them, then that is precisely the kind of fairness issue we’re talking about.” Almost everyone with public health insurance is familiar with this problem.

“We agreed within the coalition that we would apply the decisions made in the public health insurance system to private health insurance in a way that achieves the same effect. And we haven’t done that yet.” That will have to be rectified, Merz said. “This coexistence” of private and statutory health insurance “triggers a significant problem in the public’s sense of fairness…. There are good reasons for both systems, but if the public views this as such a massive problem—and I share that assessment—then we must change it. And that is exactly what we will discuss.”