Here’s a summary of the key points from the provided text, focusing on the financial situation โof German statutory health insurance (GKV):
Key Concerns & Forecasts:
* Contribution Increases Expected: โDespite a forecast suggesting โaverage additional contributions will remain around 2.9% in โข2026, the GKV โumbrella association (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds) โanticipates further increases.
* Reservesโ Depleted: Health insurance funds are legallyโข required to hold reserves equal to 20% โคof monthly โexpenses, but โคaverage reserves have โคfallen to around 6% by the end of โ2024. Replenishing these reserves will necessitate contribution increases.
* Expenses Outpacingโข Income: Health insuranceโฃ expenses are growing at โa faster โคrate โ(7.8% increase in theโฃ first half of 2025) thanโฃ premium income (5.5% โincrease). This โคis a primary driver of the financial strain.
* Additional Contributions Rising: Individual health insuranceโ companies’ additional contributionsโ have been increasing inโข recent years and are currently averaging around 2.9%, exceeding โthe 2.5% forecast for 2025.
Government Measures to Address the Deficit (and Skepticism):
* Hospital Funding โChanges (1.8 billion โeuros savings): The government plans to suspend the “moast-favored-nationโ clause” for hospitals, โฃlimiting remunerationโ increases to actual cost advancement.
* Administrative โCost Caps (100 million euros savings): Administrativeโ cost increases will be capped at 8% in 2025 (compared to 2024), with materialโฃ costs capped at 2%.
*โ Innovation Fund Reduction (100 million euros savings): Funding for theโ innovation fund will be halved from 200 million to 100 โmillion euros.
* Doubts about Effectiveness: โค Industryโ representatives (like Anne-Kathrinโข klemm, chairwoman of the BKK umbrella institution)โ question whetherโข these measures will be sufficient to stabilize contributions, โpredicting many funds โwill โขstill need to raise rates in 2026.
Inโค essence, โขthe article paints a picture โof โa Germanโฃ health insurance system under financial pressure, with rising costs andโ depleted reserves,โ despite government efforts to curb spending. There’sโ a strong indicationโข that contributionโค increases are likely, โคeven with the โimplemented savings measures.
