Overview
- Techniker Krankenkasse head Jens Baas expects the average Zusatzbeitrag to start 2026 slightly above 3%, topping the Health Ministry’s 2.9% guidance.
- Baas cites a funding gap of about €10 billion for the coming year and says further increases remain likely without substantial corrections.
- The Bundesrat sent Minister Nina Warken’s €2 billion savings package to the mediation committee, a delay Baas says comes too late for insurers’ 2026 budgets.
- Rising spending on hospital care, pharmaceuticals and ambulatory treatment, along with system inefficiencies, drive the pressure as Baas urges broad structural reforms.
- Government assurances of stable rates have come under strain, with CSU leader Markus Söder calling for hikes to be avoided and Baas warning of much higher burdens by 2029 without action.