Overview

• In a report to the Bundestag’s budget committee, the Bundesrechnungshof says the funding gap is widening by 6 to 8 billion euros each year, notes record 8.2 percent spending growth in 2024, and flags a possible 47 billion euro shortfall in 2025.
• The watchdog cites a Health Ministry forecast of roughly 0.3 percentage points added to the average Zusatzbeitrag annually, reaching about 4.05 percent by 2029.
• That trajectory would push the overall statutory health contribution toward 18.65 percent, raising costs for employees, employers, and pensioners.
• The report urges immediate spending restraint in high‑growth benefit areas, warns against watering down the hospital reform, and questions plans to debudget parts of ambulatory care.
• The government is relying on a repayable loan and an expert commission, while the GKV association calls for an expenditures moratorium and critics press for earlier, concrete measures.