According to a recent report, health insurance companies in Germany will pay medical professionals for the smartcard readers and new software that they require in order to process the new German smartcards .
Following pressure from the German ministry of health, insurance companies will cover the cost of the new technology when the smartcards are rolled out later on this year.
Experts predict that by the end of 2008, over one million smartcards will be in circulation in Germany. Doctors are breathing a sigh of relief, now that insurance companies have pledged to cover the cost.
However, concerns are being expressed that the fee paid by insurance companies will not cover the entire cost of the technology.




