Overview
- An internal BDA paper urges ending free family insurance for non‑earning spouses, requiring roughly €220 per month in contributions that the group estimates would add €2.8 billion annually.
- The plan calls for a €10 per‑visit 'contact fee' to replace the abolished practice fee, mandatory itemised patient receipts uploaded to electronic records, and a cut of VAT on medicines to 7% worth about €5.3 billion.
- The BDA outlines savings scenarios of €30–50 billion a year, arguing this could lower combined statutory and supplemental contribution rates by about 1.5–2.0 percentage points from today’s average near 17.5%.
- Reaction split quickly, with CDU social‑wing chief Dennis Radtke and SPD health spokesman Christos Pantazis rejecting the ideas as unfair to families, while CDU deputy floor leader Albert Stegemann said the proposals merit open discussion.
- GKV leaders caution that, without structural fixes, many funds will still need to lift supplemental rates in 2026, and the Health Ministry says its finance commission will examine the BDA suggestions.