Reinhardt: Serious reforms instead of Crowbar operations
Ahead of tomorrow's hearing on the draft bill for a statutory health insurance contribution rate stabilization law at the Federal Ministry of Health, the President of the German Medical Association, Dr. Klaus Reinhardt, stated:
"According to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the statutory health insurance contribution rate stabilization law planned by the federal government is one of the biggest social welfare reforms in our country. In fact, we are facing one of the most extensive cost-cutting measures for statutory health insurance in decades, with potentially far-reaching consequences for patient care, for those insured, and for employees in our healthcare system.
The fact that those involved are given only four days over a weekend to review and evaluate a law exceeding 150 pages, containing such fundamental cuts and changes, is all the more unacceptable. These deadlines are a heavy-handed approach and completely inappropriate in this context. While there is every understanding of the urgent need for action, speed must not take precedence over thoroughness in such an important undertaking.
Despite this exceptionally tight deadline, we have conducted a detailed initial assessment of the draft and will clearly present our positions in the further parliamentary process. A particularly egregious example is the omission of the full refinancing of health insurance contributions for recipients of basic income support from the draft. This demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the insured and those working in the healthcare sector, who must bear the burden of this solidarity measure through cost-cutting measures, fee reductions, and increased workloads. The complete assumption of these costs by the federal budget would not only be essential from a regulatory policy perspective, but would also reflect a properly understood concept of societal solidarity.
It is now crucial to have sufficient time to carefully analyze the consequences of all measures planned under the law for patient care and to assess their interactions with one another. This is also important in order to properly evaluate the impact of the law on ongoing or pending reform projects, such as the introduction of the primary care system, the reorganization of emergency care, and the implementation of hospital reform.
In the further parliamentary process, we will pay very close attention to whether those affected are honestly and seriously involved in the detailed design of the reform, or whether it becomes a mere parliamentary formality. The acceptance and support of the reform by the medical profession will depend significantly on this."
Media release from Bundesärztekammer: 19.04.2026 bundesaerztekammer.de/presse
Photo: ©BÄK (Corrected!)
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Bundesärztekammer - Dr. Klaus Reinhardt
