Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) rejected the CDU‑Business Council’s proposal to remove dental care from the statutory health insurance (GKV) benefit catalogue. She announced on Monday that the demand to delete dental treatments from the GKV schedule would not be carried out, arguing that it would contradict the solidarity principle of the system and undermine efforts to strengthen prevention.
The plan has attracted cross‑party criticism, with several Union politicians joining the opposition. Rhineland‑Palatinate CDU candidate Gordon Schnieder called the call to eliminate state dental services “absurd”. In an interview with the Funke Media Group outlets, he warned that the debate leaves many citizens in a precarious position, as they worry whether they will have to pay for dentist visits out of pocket.
Green deputy parliamentary group leader Andreas Audretsch also spoke to the “Rheinische Post”, accusing the Union of humiliating working people and insisting that the real objection is to remove dentist visits from the insurance catalogue. He said doing so would “destroy society”.