Overview

• The Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft reports 80 hospitals have filed for insolvency since early 2022 and about 80% are running at a loss, prompting a call for €4 billion in immediate federal assistance before the summer break.
• Hospitals cite soaring costs for materials, energy and personnel alongside inadequate reimbursement rates as drivers of the crisis, with small and rural facilities at highest risk of closure.
• Statutory health insurers ended 2024 with a €6.2 billion deficit, leading the GKV-Spitzenverband to propose an expenditure moratorium to prevent further contribution hikes.
• Health associations and Die Linke are calling for federal coverage of non-insurance services, pharmaceutical price reforms and an increase of the contribution assessment ceiling to €15,000 to stabilize insurer finances.
• At the Bund-Länder conference, state ministers pressed Warken to grant regional flexibility in hospital planning rules and to set clear timelines for disbursing the emergency aid.