Overview

• The federal cabinet approved revisions that push full effectiveness of the hospital reform to 2030 while keeping the core push for service concentration and specialization.
• States may grant three‑year exceptions that allow smaller clinics to keep operating without meeting new quality and staffing thresholds.
• Berlin will cover the statutory insurers’ share of the €50 billion Transformation Fund via the Infrastructure and Climate Neutrality special fund and will pay an extra €1 billion per year for four years to ease state budgets.
• Health Minister Nina Warken said consolidation will continue, with fewer hospitals, mergers or closures, and longer travel for specialized procedures.
• Major insurers including the GKV-Spitzenverband and AOK warned that expanded state discretion weakens safeguards and could yield uneven patient safety across Germany.