Quick Facts
Biography
Dr. Karl Lauterbach (born 21 February 1963) is a German scientist and politician (SPD). He is professor of health economics and epidemiology at the University of Cologne. Since the 2005 federal elections he has been a Member of the Bundestag and since the 2013 elections he has been Deputy Chair of the SPD-Parliamentary Group.
Education and career
Lauterbach studied human medicine at the RWTH Aachen University, University of Texas at San Antonio, and University of Düsseldorf, where he graduated. From 1989–1992 he studied health policy and management as well as epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, graduating with a Doctor of Science in 1992. From 1992–1993 he held a fellowship at the Harvard Medical School.
Since 1998 Lauterbach has been director of the institute of health economy and clinical epidemiology at the University of Cologne, and he was appointed adjunct professor at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2008. He was a member of the Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der Entwicklung im Gesundheitswesen ("Council of Experts for the development of health system") from 1999 until he was elected to the Bundestag in September 2005. He was a member of the Rürup-Kommission, a committee of experts that was established to review the financing of the social insurance systems.
Political career
Lauterbach joined the SPD in 2001. He made his entry to the Bundestag with a direct mandate by winning in his electoral district Leverkusen - Cologne IV at the 2005 federal elections. Between 2005 and 2013, he served on the Health Committee.
Ahead of the 2013 elections, Peer Steinbrück included Lauterbach in his shadow cabinet for the Social Democrats’ campaign to unseat incumbent Angela Merkel as chancellor. During the campaign, he served as shadow minister of health. In the negotiations to form a government following the elections, he led the SPD delegation in the health working group; his co-chair from the CDU/CSU was Jens Spahn. He later became deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group under the leadership of Thomas Oppermann.
Lauterbach is a strong advocate of the so-called Bürgerversicherung, mainly favoured by the Social Democrats. These idea includes the reorganization of the German health system and the incorporation of all people and all income groups into the financing of the health care system.
Other activities
- Rhön-Klinikum, Member of the Supervisory Board (2005-2013)
- Muhanna-Stiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees
Personal life
Lauterbach was married to Angela Spelsberg, who is the medical director of a tumour centre in Aachen, until their divorce in 2010. They have four children.