German Health Minister Nina Warken Introduces €16 bn Savings Bill

Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has tabled a savings package for the statutory health insurance system in the Bundestag, aiming to ease the insurers' finances by at least €16.3 billion by 2027 and avoid higher supplemental contributions. The draft proposes spending caps for doctors’ practices, hospitals and the pharmaceutical sector, higher co‑payments for medicines and limits on free spousal coverage.

The Bundesrat is reviewing the proposal, with regional committees likely to request the removal of several spending caps. The coalition faces broad protests from the health sector; the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) and the Patient Protection Foundation warn that the cuts could shift the burden onto insured patients. Warken stressed that “the rest must now be raised additionally to secure contribution stability.” Chancellor Friedrich Merz has instructed that the savings buffer must not shrink, and a projected deficit for the coming year is €3.5 billion higher than earlier estimates, prompting an additional €2.5 billion savings target. The law is slated for approval by the mid‑July summer break.