Overview
- From 1 November, a new remuneration contract takes effect that doubles pay to €85.40 per hour for exclusively attended births, according to the GKV-Spitzenverband.
- Parallel care will be reimbursed less, and freelance hospital-based midwives (Beleghebammen) are warned to expect income drops of roughly 20% to 35%.
- The reform replaces many lump sums with five-minute billing, which associations say increases bureaucracy and undermines the viability of short appointments.
- Short home visits are expected to become uneconomical unless they last about 40 minutes, and course offerings may be cut because no-shows can no longer be billed privately.
- A recent survey of more than 800 midwives found 44% considering leaving the profession, while insurers defend the changes as a fair redesign to promote one-to-one care.