According to CDU Health Minister Nina Warken, insured individuals may be able to count on lower supplementary health contribution rates following the proposed reform plans. Speaking to the “Bild am Sonntag”, Warken stated that such a reduction “is possible” adding, “If we actually save this substantial volume, if we actually close the gap for next year, and still have some buffer-and it always depends on how the economy develops-there may also be insurance funds that can lower their supplementary contributions”.
The overarching goal of the reform is to stabilize the contribution rates themselves. Warken emphasized that the reform means the future will feature stable contribution levels, preventing the mandatory, automatic increase of the supplementary contribution every year. This stabilization, she explained, would provide “relief regarding supplementary contributions and also planning certainty for people, as well as for businesses”. She further asserted that “if we pass this package, we will have enough money to keep the contributions stable”.
Additionally, the Minister pressed for increased involvement from the federal government (Bund) to finance the health contributions for recipients of basic minimum income (Bürgergeld). Here, she argues that they must find a way for the federal level to participate in these costs to a greater extent, calling it fundamentally “a matter of justice”.
However, Warken noted that the final decision regarding these funding mechanisms is not yet clear, stating, “We are still in talks about it. It has not been finally settled”.