Health care system in GermanyIt is difficult to describe the German health care and insurance system in a few words. At the centre of the legislation applicable to the German health care system are social law regulations. However, the term “social law” can be misleading. To start with, we have chosen just a few topics relating to the health care system in Germany. National Fee Scale (Honorarverteilungsmaßstab)Since 1st July 2004 the National Fee Scale has been used for the remuneration for services furnished by insurance doctors. The National Fee Scale consists of pre-determined fees by each physician group instead of unpredictably floating relative value units. Health insurance funds make payments to the provider associations up to the agreed-upon volume of care for each physician group. Meanwhile, both the complexity and the governance of the system seem inadequate for the parties involved, i.e. patients and physicians. Family-physician centred insurance plan (Hausarztmodell)One of the aims of the reform of the health care system is to “revive“ medical and health care centres. They can be founded by physicians, hospitals and pharmacies. The authorisation, operation or merely expansion of a medical and health care centre is subject to strict regulations. | 
