Despite specific filter settings, patients with statutory (public) health insurance are being shown paid private appointments. The Berlin Regional Court has issued a ruling addressing this practice.
The court has prohibited Doctolib from displaying paid private consultations to individuals insured under the public system when those users specifically filter for appointments covered by statutory health insurance. Displaying “self-pay” appointments despite these filter settings was deemed misleading. This verdict supports a lawsuit filed against the platform by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations (vzbv), as reported by RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland.
Consumer advocates have welcomed the decision. Ramona Pop, head of the vzbv, stated: “In the view of consumer advocates, private appointments and self-pay services must be clearly and unambiguously labeled.” She emphasized: “Booking portals do not have the right to mislead individuals insured by statutory funds.” Pop also called on policymakers to establish consumer-oriented minimum standards for commercial medical appointment portals. The court’s decision is not yet legally binding, as Doctolib has filed an appeal (Case No. 52 O 149/25).
According to the court order, even after a user selects the filter “€ Statutory Insurance” (accompanied by the explanation: “Insurance type. Show only statutory insurance appointments”), Doctolib still displays private consultations that patients must pay for out of pocket. The ruling states that such a filter creates the impression that the selection is limited to treatment covered by statutory medical insurance and that self-pay services are excluded.
Since this is not the case in practice, the service’s actions were recognized as misleading. In the court’s opinion, the situation is not rectified by the fact that a warning appears before the final booking, notifying the user that they must pay for the treatment themselves and may need to provide cash in advance.
Patients have two primary alternatives to commercial online booking portals: the 116 117 appointment service and similar services provided directly by their health insurance funds.
Source: Welt
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