Increased financial donations have not been definitively ruled out
In the first half of the year, healthcare expenditures have seen a significant increase, with outpatient medical treatments rising by 7.8% to nearly 27 billion euros and pharmaceuticals expenditures increasing by 6% to 28.9 billion euros. These figures highlight the growing financial burden on the statutory health insurance funds.
The CEO of DAK, Andreas Storm, has warned of a "winter of helplessness in health and care" that insured persons and employers will have to pay for dearly in the next year. The General Local Health Insurance Funds (AOK) have also criticized a "policy of wishful thinking" and urged against waiting for money to appear in the federal budget.
To address these challenges, the federal government is providing additional funds, but this still leaves a gap of four billion euros for 2026. This gap could potentially result in a 0.2 percentage point increase in the contribution. Health Minister Nina Warken is pursuing short-term steps to avoid contribution increases starting in January, not only for health insurance but also for long-term care insurance.
The legal requirement for the reserves is at least 0.2 months' worth. The funds must use their surplus, currently standing at 4.6 billion euros, equivalent to 0.16 months' worth of expenditures, to replenish their reserves. The concrete additional contribution is then set by each fund based on its financial situation for its insured.
The expert group agreed upon in the coalition agreement, known as the "FinanzKommission Gesundheit" (Finance Commission Health), is set to begin in the fall of 2025 to develop long-term solutions for the financial burden of the statutory health insurance. An expert commission, initially scheduled to present its results in the spring of 2027, has been moved up to the spring of 2026.
The chairman of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, Eugen Brysch, has accused the government of reality denial, stating that without funds from taxes, the lights will go out in health and long-term care insurance. The chairman of the German Social Association, Michaela Engelmeier, has voiced her opposition to loans, stating that they only shift the problem to the future. Instead, she advocates for insurance-related services to be paid for with funds from taxes.
These developments have led to concerns for millions of insured individuals, who may face impending increases in health insurance contributions next year. The government factions and the coalition committee have reaffirmed their goal of keeping contributions as stable as possible after the recent significant increases in 2026. Expenditures for hospital treatments rose to 54.5 billion euros in the first half of the year, an increase of 9.6% compared to the first six months of the previous year.
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