Minister of Health Nina Warken praises the federal government’s efforts as a “strong signal”. But the pressure on the health insurance companies is growing
Despite empty cash register: Federal Minister of Health Warken exudes a good mood
Photo: Chris Emil Janßen/Imago Images
How will the new household affect the health sector? The day of budgetary cleaning- September 4- was rather dark for the statutory health and social long-term care insurance (GKV, SPV): the federal subsidy for the SHI is stagnating at 14.5 billion euros, the care fund no longer receives a grant at all. The federal contributions for citizens’ papers neither increase: on the inside, nor does he stutter the Corona debt of ten billion euros from the long-term care insurance fund.
In the years 2025/26, the SHI will instead a loan of 2.3 billion euros each annually, and – how generous! – Extended the repayment period for a loan that has already been paid in 2026 to seven years. The top association of health insurance companies and social associations has long been criticizing this non -sustainable loan policy of the Federal Government, which only shifts the debts of the social security funds into the future.
At the press conference last Friday, Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU), on the other hand, praised the federal government’s efforts: “A strong signal”. She also pointed out that the transformation costs for the hospital reform of 25 billion euros would now be borne, every year 2.5 billion euros. She does not mentions that the federal government with the original request to have the insured would have been paid for by the constitution and thus pulled the emergency brake.
Will there be an increase in premiums in January 2026? It remains exciting
At the moment, the health insurance companies have a surplus of 2.8 billion euros, which they urgently need to replenish the legally required reserves, from which Warken’s predecessor Jens Spahn (CDU) had ruthlessly used. The pressure on the coffers, Warken continued, continued unabated, the growth of spending is now 12.2 billion euros, that is eight percent, in 2026 a deficit of four billion euros is expected. Without short -term measures and long -term profound reforms, she said, “the system can no longer be financed.”
In the short term, if she wanted, she could lower VAT for medicines or prescribe an expenditure moratorium, as required by the top association. Warken hopes that the Commission, which she wants to use for the big reform project in September, will provide initial results in spring 2026. It remains exciting whether there will be an almost routine increase in premiums in January.
In the nursing care fund, too, the federal government operates with an over -year loan to cover the expenses at short notice. The previous deficit of 1.54 billion euros, experts say, could grow to twelve billion by 2029. The federal government also refuses to meet benefits, such as the contributions for caring relatives, for this social security branch. The Social Association VDK has announced that the illegal use of insurance funds during the pandemic are now examined and collected. After the requirement of equality of stress in the Basic Law, this is “misuse”.
Loan extended from one billion euros to seven years. The top association of health insurance companies and social associations has long been criticizing this non -sustainable loan policy of the Federal Government, which only shifts the debts of the social security funds to the future. In contrast, the Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU) praised the efforts of the federal government last Friday: “A strong signal”. She also pointed out that the transformation costs for the hospital reform of 25 billion euros would now be borne, every year 2.5 billion euros. The fact that the federal government with the original request to have the insured would have been paid by the constitution would not have been passed through and so that the emergency brake did not mention. The health insurance companies have an excess of 2.8 billion euros, which they urgently need to replace the legally required reserves, from which Warken’s predecessor Jens Spahn (CDU) had ruthlessly used. The pressure on the coffers, Warken continued, continued unabated, the growth of spending is now 12.2 billion euros, that is eight percent, in 2026 a deficit of four billion euros is expected. Without short -term measures and long -term profound reforms, she said, “the system can no longer be financed.” In the short term, if she wanted, she could lower the VAT for medicines or prescribe an expenditure moratorium, as required by the top association. Warken hopes that the Commission, which she wants to use for the big reform project in September, will provide initial results in spring 2026. It remains exciting whether there will be an almost routine increase in premiums in January. In the nursing care fund, the Federal Government operates with an over -year loan to cover the expenditure at short notice. The previous deficit of 1.54 billion euros, experts say, could grow to twelve billion by 2029. The federal government also refuses to meet benefits, such as the contributions for caring relatives, for this social security branch. The Social Association VDK has announced that the illegal use of insurance funds during the pandemic are now examined and collected. After the requirement of equality of stress in the Basic Law, this is “misuse”.
