Nina Warken's Revised German Health Insurance Reform Aims to Stabilise Contributions

German Health Minister Nina Warken is set to present a revised law on statutory health‑insurance financing to the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The amendment softens several planned cuts: co‑payments for medicines and hospital stays are reduced, family‑insurance contributions for partners will rise only by 2.5 % of income (instead of the originally proposed 3.5 %), and parents with children up to eleven years are exempt. The federal budget will add €1.4 billion to the GKV in 2027, raising subsidies for beneficiaries of the citizen‑income scheme and limiting the cut to the federal grant.

The reform also targets the insurance deficit, which the DIW forecasts at €18.8 billion in 2027 as expenditures outpace revenues. Measures include capping fee increases for providers, raising patients’ out‑of‑pocket payments, abolishing the telephone‑sick‑note, and expanding mandatory pharma price rebates from 7 % to 15.5 %. While the coalition hopes the contribution rate will stay at 14.6 % plus a 2.9 % supplemental levy (total 17.5 %), critics – including doctors’ associations and some insurers – warn of increased bureaucracy and potential service reductions.

Negotiations between the CDU/CSU, SPD and other coalition partners have shaped the final package, with the finance ministry committing extra annual funding through 2030. The reform is expected to keep contribution rates stable at least until 2028, but its long‑term impact on health‑care access and financing remains a point of debate.