As of 1 March 2020, the implementation of the so-called repeat prescription will come into force, which is intended to save chronically ill patients who are well adjusted to a drug the time and effort required to obtain it. First of all, the term chronically ill must be defined so that it is clear which persons will benefit in the future. The Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) has defined the term chronicler in this way by means of the „Chronicler Guideline“: According to this, a person is seriously chronically ill if he or she has had one of the listed diseases, which are grouped into different categories, for at least one year. In addition, until now the patient had to be treated by a doctor once a quarter for one and the same illness. However, there are still other criteria that must be met, such as a level 3, 4, or 5 degrees of care; a degree of disability (GdB), a degree of adverse effects (GdS) and a reduction in earning capacity (MdE) with a minimum of 60 percent each are also mandatory. In addition, continuous medical care to prevent the following three points: a life-threatening worsening of the disease, a reduced life expectancy and a permanent impairment of the quality of life must also be fulfilled as criteria. People with chronic illnesses, such as respiratory system diseases such as asthma or COPD or psychological behavioural disorders that can be diagnosed as depression or dissociative disorders, are relieved by co-payments for prescriptions and medication if the co-payments exceed a burden limit of one percent of gross income per year. In addition, persons with a GdB that exceeds 50 percent are entitled to a severely disabled person’s pass. This is uniform throughout Germany and indicates the severity of the disability in percent. In addition, the duration of validity and various other markers, such as blindness, helplessness, accompanying persons are indicated with abbreviations. As a rule, it is issued for a period of five years. Exceptions to this rule – such as an unlimited exhibition – are rare.
