German Health Minister Nina Warken Faces Massive Protest Over Care Cuts

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Hannover on 10 June under the slogan “Warken stoppen” to oppose a savings package proposed by Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU). The protest, organised by the Verdi union, warned that the cuts to statutory health insurance and long‑term care would create a “significant social imbalance”, overburden emergency rooms and force birth wards to close. Verdi board member Sylvia Bühler described the measures as “dangerous for care and for employees”. Lower‑Saxony’s Health Minister Andreas Philippi (SPD) pledged to side with the states against the reforms during the health‑ministers conference held in Hannover. The federal government’s plan aims to relieve statutory health insurers by €16.3 billion by 2027 through spending caps, higher medication co‑payments and tighter rules on free spousal coverage.