Overview

• GKV chief Oliver Blatt proposed capping statutory insurers’ outlays by linking expenditures to revenues, arguing this would avoid explicit benefit cuts.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his call for more individual responsibility that would raise out‑of‑pocket payments, drawing sharp criticism from VdK president Verena Bentele.
• Health fund spending on hospitals rose 9.6 percent in the first half of the year to €54.5 billion, underscoring pressure on the system.
• Insurers flagged the burden of very high‑cost medicines, noting more than 40,000 patients receive drugs costing €100,000 or more annually and calling for tougher value assessments.
• Blatt floated diverting part of alcohol and tobacco levies to statutory insurance for prevention, and said only inflationary adjustments to drug co‑pays should be considered rather than major hikes.