Tagi: Reprimand for failure to hold a hearing

The criticized report concerns an online follow-up from February 17, 2015 to a print article about a patient who is in dispute with the health insurance company Concordia. The online article was titled "Concordia's approach has a system" and contained vehement accusations against Concordia by patient protector and GLP National Councilor Margrit Kessler. Kessler's allegations were not submitted to Concordia for a rebuttal before publication.

The statement from the health and accident insurance company was only inserted into the online article without comment one day after publication. Concordia therefore appealed to the Press Council. The latter has now partially approved the complaint and reprimanded the Tages-Anzeiger, as it announced on Wednesday. The editorship would have been obligated to confront the insurer before the publication with the reproach of the patient protector, writes the press council. The addition the next day was not enough to escape a reprimand for failure to hear serious allegations.

Wheelchair dispute

Concordia also fought against the main report: an article about a woman who is dependent on one of the most expensive drugs in Switzerland because of the rare disease Morbus Pompe. Since the woman is severely overweight and the drug is dosed according to body weight, her health insurance company had asked her to lose another six kilos after a slimming cure she had already completed.

This text appeared in the Tages-Anzeiger and Der Bund. The point of contention was whether the overweight patient is dependent on a wheelchair or not. According to the Press Council, the question of the wheelchair is one of testimony against testimony, and it cannot be clarified whether the patient is really dependent on a wheelchair. On this aspect, however, the Press Council agreed with the editorial team. It had not violated the declaration of the duties and rights of journalists.