Overview

• The health minister convened a ten‑member expert group tasked with proposing short‑term stabilizers by March 2026 and a full reform blueprint by December 2026.
• Statutory funds report average additional premiums near 3.1 percent after mid‑year hikes, up from the official 2.5 percent at January’s start, pointing to further strain into 2026.
• Measures under discussion include raising the pharmaceutical manufacturer rebate and extending or tightening the drug price moratorium, ideas backed by insurer and audit bodies.
• The hospital transformation is estimated at €50 billion through 2035, with proposals to stretch timelines and channel roughly €4 billion in federal special‑fund money to ease near‑term costs for insurers.
• Berlin has already provided €800 million in liquidity support this year, with further top‑ups debated, as insurers escalate a court case in Essen over Bürgergeld subsidies that they say leaves a funding gap of about €10 billion annually.