Bundesgesundheitsministerin Nina Warken (CDU) has rejected the SPD’s proposal to tap rental income and capital gains to fund the statutory health insurance (GKV). Instead, she announced her support for financing “beitragsfremde Leistungen” – services funded separately from insurance premiums – through federal budget allocations.
In an interview with the “Handelsblatt” (Tuesday issue), Warken said she backs Carsten Linnemann’s request to use federal money to cover these out‑of‑pocket benefits. She argued that it is unfair for people who are legally insured to bear billions of euros each year to protect basic‑security beneficiaries.
Warken’s stance aligns with CDU General Secretary Linnemann, who on Sunday evening on ARD had suggested that contributions should no longer be raised from the regular insured’s premiums. According to Linnemann, currently the insured pay a double‑digit billion‑euro sum annually to cover the costs of “Bürgergeld” recipients.
The SPD’s executive board, however, has in a recent position paper called for widening the contribution base to include rental revenues and capital gains. They claim that expanding the pool of fundraisers would ultimately lower the contribution rates for insured individuals.