Ullrich, PeterKausch, StefanHolze, Sigrun2015-11-212015-09-2920122015-09-29urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-72437https://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/5032http://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-4735The coalition government in Germany (1998-2005) of the social democrats and the greens instituted several healthcare reform measures marking a paradigm shift and thus setting the direction of reform for subsequent governments’ healthcare politics. Agreeing with governmentality studies perspectives on recent transformations of govern-ing western democracies that have been analysed as ambiguously offering new opportuni-ties (= more freedom) and bringing new disciplinary measures (= more force), it can be shown that many measures are geared towards the activation and responsibilisation of insurants. In doing so, they produce what we call a “healthcare self”. This is characterised by a feeling of personal responsibility for one’s health, knowledge of options to obtain health, a high degree of reflexivity in health issues and willingness to pay for healthcare costs, because they are seen as an investment in one’s own prosperity. This is founded in a moral discourse and an institutional restructuring, which we consider a sign for a basic metamorphosis of the concept of the state into what we call a new state arrangement.en300 SozialwissenschaftenDeutschlandGesundheitsvorsorgeGesundheitswesenPolitische ReformRot-Grüne KoalitionGermanyGreen partyhealthcarepolitical reformsocial democratsArticle1862-3921