Stability package for stable contributions - Too many sick notes? - Health Minister Warken Presents €2B Savings Plan to Avoid 2026 Health Contribution Hike
Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU) is set to present a savings package worth two billion euros to the cabinet this Wednesday. The aim is to prevent an increase in health insurance contributions in 2026. Key measures include curbing clinic spending and reducing administration costs.
The savings package, to be decided upon before an important financial forecast for 2026, includes significant cuts. It aims to save 100 million euros from the administration costs of statutory health insurers (GKV) and another 100 million euros from payments into a fund for health research. Notably, about a third of the approximately 116 million sick leave certificates issued annually last only up to three days. If these short-term certificates were eliminated, the healthcare system could save around 1.4 million working hours or 100 million euros in costs.
The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, proposes that a sick leave certificate should generally only be required after the fourth or fifth day of illness. This change could contribute to closing the two-billion-euro gap. Additionally, cost savings within the Care-Paket could significantly help bridge this gap through bundled services offering discounts of up to 20 percent compared to individual bookings. Process optimizations, automation, and quality improvements within service delivery could also lead to further savings.
The GKV boss, Oliver Blatt, believes the measures in the savings package are sufficient to bring the average expenditure into line with the average income in 2026. A regulation on the remuneration of clinics is planned to save the majority of the two-billion-euro gap, with the increase in income limited to an appropriate level. The cabinet's decision on Wednesday will be crucial in solidifying these plans.
