Germany’s Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) announced in Berlin a reform package aimed at closing a multibillion-euro gap in the country’s public health insurance system and preventing further contribution increases. The plan responds to rapidly rising spending and an expected shortfall of more than €15 billion by 2027 without cost-saving measures. Key measures include higher prescription copayments, mandatory independent second opinions for expensive hip or knee surgeries, and ending insurance coverage for homeopathy, alongside bigger required discounts from pharmaceutical companies and tighter limits on insurer executive and administrative costs. The proposals are expected to be turned into draft law and advanced through government and parliamentary votes before the summer recess.
Date: April 15, 2026. Source: dw.com