Overview

• At the health ministers’ conference in Weimar, Schenk pressed federal authorities and Health Minister Nina Warken to clarify when and how the coalition-agreed aid will be disbursed to hospitals.
• The coalition between CDU and SPD pledged to offset inflation-driven cost increases from 2022 and 2023, but clinics have yet to receive any of the promised funds.
• Hospitals are operating at a loss after pandemic and post-pandemic inflation without compensation for price surges linked to the Ukraine conflict.
• Deutsche Krankenhausgesellschaft chief Gerald Gaß advocates deep deregulation to streamline bureaucracy and improve care quality without adding spending.
• Schenk warned that uncertainty over aid could force hospitals—particularly in eastern states—into layoffs or uncontrolled insolvency before the 2027 reform takes effect.