Overview
- On Saturday, November 14, 2026, KBV chairman Andreas Gassen told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that recently decided honorarium cuts will probably lead practices to offer more paid private sessions so patients can avoid long waits.
- The KBV estimates the cuts at about €3 billion and says ENT, orthopedics, cardiology, radiology and rheumatology are most exposed with some specialist groups facing up to 25 percent revenue losses.
- Gassen explained how the current quarterly budget system works by saying that when a practice's budget is exhausted insured patients may only get a desired-practice appointment in the next quarter, which creates the incentive for self-pay offers.
- The Spitzenverband der Gesetzlichen Krankenkassen, politicians from the Greens and SPD, and patient groups strongly rejected Gassen’s remarks as a ‘fear campaign’ that risks creating a paywall and deepening unequal access to care.
- The KBV signalled limited willingness to negotiate, proposing a quota of guaranteed urgent appointments if insurers agree to guaranteed payment, while the row highlights wider tensions over the government’s GKV cost‑saving programme and the coalition’s specialist appointment guarantee.