Hamburg's uninsured migrants left without critical medical funding in 2024

Uninsured migrants in Hamburg have been denied financial coverage for essential medical treatments since mid-May 2023. The city’s emergency assistance program, designed to support those in acute need, now has no funds left for new cases. Medinetz, a healthcare support network, has strongly criticised the situation as a failure to uphold basic care standards. The Clearing Office at Hamburg’s Refugee Center has provided access to healthcare for uninsured individuals since 2012. It helps clients enter the regular system or covers urgent treatments through a municipal emergency fund. In 2024 alone, 678 of 781 applicants received funding approval, with treatments and prescriptions costing around €718,000.

Despite rising demand, the program has faced chronic underfunding. Consultations jumped from 284 in 2012 to over 2,300 in 2024, yet the budget was never permanently increased. This year, only €100,000 was approved in May after an initial €500,000 allocation, leaving no further support for the rest of 2024.

Medinetz has accused the city of prioritising austerity over vulnerable people. Matthias Plieninger, an internist and member of the network, warned that without urgent action, many will go untreated, risking severe health complications or death. The group is now pressing Hamburg to honour its coalition agreement, release immediate funds, and create sustainable financing.

The Senate has defended its position by calling the Clearing Office a ‘voluntary service.’ It stated that funding remains dependent on budget approval, citing current fiscal constraints as a limiting factor. The emergency fund is now empty, and no additional money has been allocated for new cases. Without intervention, uninsured migrants in Hamburg will continue to be denied critical medical care. Medinetz insists that the city must act to prevent a healthcare crisis for this vulnerable group.