Overview
- Parliament approved the multi‑billion euro package in a last‑minute rush on Friday after Bundestag and Bundesrat votes and failed bids to delay the measure by the Constitutional Court or the Bundesrat’s mediation committee.
- The law sets a 2027 savings target of about €18.8 billion and achieves this with higher patient co‑payments, cuts or limits to select benefits and tighter rules on free family co‑insurance.
- Federal contributions were reduced but softened in final talks, with the regular 2027 federal transfer trimmed by €1.35 billion instead of €2 billion and a larger one‑off top‑up for basic‑security recipients agreed.
- Hospitals, clinic associations and municipal groups warn the package removes temporary inflation relief, caps reimbursements and forces cuts that could mean revenue falls, staff losses and reduced services.
- The government says this is a savings measure and will pursue structural reforms after the summer recess, leaving details on psychotherapeutic care, primary‑care changes and implementation timelines unresolved.