Patient transports, special agreements and the PBefG: Why the transport services' action day in Ahlen is worthwhile.

Anyone who wants to know which political and legal challenges will come to the taxi and rental car industry in the coming months should mark September 19 on their calendar. From 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., the Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) invites you to the Action Day of ride services at Hof Münsterland in Ahlen. The event comes at a time when many entrepreneurs are watching with concern the developments in the field of patient transport. For what at first glance appears to be a debate about health insurance finances could have significant effects on the profitability of numerous businesses.

The focus of the Action Day is therefore the highly debated GKV Contribution Rate Stabilization Act. For many taxi and rental car companies, patient transports are a fixed component of the business model. Especially in rural areas, trips to dialysis centers, radiation therapy and chemotherapy sessions, or specialist practices often secure a substantial portion of utilization.

Remuneration for patient transports in jeopardy

The planned law aims to further limit the expenditures of the statutory health insurance. Critics fear, however, that this could cause the remuneration for patient transports to lag behind actual cost developments in the future. The consequence would be economic burdens for companies that already have to cope with rising personnel, energy, and vehicle costs.

A legal opinion has therefore drawn special attention, commissioned by several industry associations. The lawyers Dr. Tim Unger and Dr. Philip-Max Krüger come to the conclusion that substantial doubts about the constitutionality of individual regulations could exist. This is precisely where the Action Day begins. With Dr. Tim Unger, one of the authors of the opinion, as the main speaker, a rare opportunity is offered for entrepreneurs to have the legal background explained to them directly from the source and to ask questions that may be important for their own operation.

But the event does not limit itself to the debate about patient transports. A second focus is a topic that taxi operators should watch closely in particular: the application of Section 51(2) of the Passenger Transport Act. The trigger is a recent decision of the Administrative Court of Munich. The court declared a DAK's special taxi agreement unlawful. The affected district has since filed an appeal, so the Bavarian Higher Administrative Court will now decide the case.