Germany's GKV Reform Reduces Funding for Psychotherapy and Dental Care

The Bundestag and Bundesrat passed the GKV‑Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz on 10 July 2026, introducing a package of savings of roughly €19 billion for 2027. While the SPD parliamentary group announced an additional €100 million earmarked for psychotherapeutic services, the law also imposes deep cuts across the statutory health insurance system.

The Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung warned that ambulatory practices will have to shrink their service offerings, with expected reductions of 5‑15 % in case numbers and up to 15 % fewer financed treatments. The new rules budget psychotherapeutic services and eliminate the adequacy test for fees, prompting concerns of longer waiting times and a shift toward private‑patient care.

The Kassenzahnärztliche Bundesvereinigung similarly criticised the reform, saying it jeopardises preventive dental programmes and could force dentists, especially in rural areas, to retire early, threatening access to oral health care for vulnerable groups.

Overall, the reform aims to curb health‑insurance spending but is expected to limit patient access to mental‑health and dental services, with particular impact on children, adolescents, severely ill patients and the broader population reliant on statutory insurance.