Germany to introduce new medical check-up for children aged 9–10 covered by insurance
A new preventive medical check-up for children aged between 9 and 10 will be introduced in Germany. The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), which determines the list of services covered by statutory health insurance, approved on 20 August the inclusion of the screening in the standard prevention programme.
The new check-up has been named U10. It will be paid for by state health insurance funds, so parents of children with statutory health insurance will not have to pay for the examination themselves.
The main purpose of U10 is to close the long gap between preventive examinations for young children and adolescents. Currently, the standard programme ends with the U9 examination at around the age of five, and the next nationwide check-up J1 is carried out only in adolescence.
What will be checked in children
During U10, the doctor is expected to assess not only the general physical condition of the child, but also the risks that are particularly relevant in primary school age.
Focus will be on overweight and obesity, level of physical activity, time spent using smartphones, computers and other devices, as well as the child's psychological development and possible behavioural problems.
Additional attention is planned to be paid to preventive vaccinations. The doctor will check the vaccination status and advise parents, including on vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV). In Germany, this vaccination is recommended for girls and boys starting from the age of nine.
The G-BA explains the choice of the age group by the fact that it is during this period that problems related to development, mental state, insufficient physical activity and the use of digital devices may become apparent. Early detection of disorders should allow the child to be referred for additional diagnostics or treatment more quickly.
When will the new check-up be covered by insurance
The G-BA decision does not mean that you can already make an appointment for the new U10. For the new rules to come into effect, the procedure provided for by law must be completed.
The decision must undergo review by the Federal Ministry of Health of Germany and then be published in the Federal Gazette. After that, the procedure for paying doctors for the examination in the statutory health insurance system must be determined.
Therefore, the actual launch of the new U10 is expected in a few months. The exact date from which the examination will be available as a standard service for all insured children of the relevant age will be announced after these procedures are completed.
Until now, some German health insurance funds have already offered additional preventive check-ups for schoolchildren, including examinations designated as U10 or U11. However, they were additional services of specific insurers and were not guaranteed to all participants in the state insurance system. The new G-BA decision provides for the inclusion of the examination of children aged 9–10 in the general programme of statutory health insurance.
Based on: WELT, G-BA, gesund.bund.de
