Overview

• GKV’s 2024 deficit of 6.2 billion euros exhausted financial reserves, prompting 82 insurers to raise supplementary contributions in early 2025.
• Six statutory health insurers have applied to increase their contribution rates from July to plug immediate budget gaps.
• The Verband der Ersatzkassen warns that contribution rates could climb by up to 0.5 percentage points in 2026 if structural reforms lag.
• McKinsey’s GKV-Check-up 2025 flags insolvency risks for as many as 60 smaller insurers if cost pressures persist.
• A Deloitte study finds that digitalization and process optimization could save statutory insurers between 8 and 13 billion euros over the next two to four years.