German courts deny coverage for Mollii Suit stimulation suit

German courts have ruled against the reimbursement of the Exopulse Mollii Suit, an electrostimulation garment designed to assist individuals with spasticity. The Landessozialgericht Nordrhein-Westfalen rejected a claim by a student with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy, while the Sozialgericht Köln also denied coverage for a patient with multiple sclerosis.

The Mollii Suit utilizes 58 electrodes to deliver electrical impulses to the muscles, aiming to reduce muscle spasms and improve mobility. In the case of the student, clinical trials and therapeutic reports indicated improvements in walking speed, posture, and fine motor skills for writing. However, the courts determined that the suit is classified as a medical treatment method rather than a simple assistive device.

Because the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss - G-BA) has not issued a formal recommendation for the suit, health insurance providers are not required to cover the costs, which amounted to approximately 8,525.16 euros in the cited case. The courts noted that despite documented individual improvements, there remains a lack of sufficient scientific evidence of efficacy required for mandatory insurance coverage.