Economics expert Martin Werding has rejected the SPD’s proposal to introduce a new health‑contribution levy on dividends, interest income, and rental receipts. He warned that such a measure would effectively turn the current social‑security system into a tax‑transfer scheme, dramatically expanding an already broad redistribution framework, overtaxing other forms of financial saving, and distracting from the real reform agenda that the country urgently needs.
Werding argues that the German health system faces an “expenditure problem, not a revenue problem”. Accordingly, he calls for long‑term reforms that deliver both higher quality care and greater cost efficiency, thereby tempering the sharp rise in spending and contribution rates seen over recent years. Key elements of his proposal include:
” Consistent implementation of the ongoing hospital reform to curb unnecessary hospital stays and specialist overuse.
” Measures to restrain the accelerating growth in pharmaceutical spending.
” Policies that improve the overall efficiency of the system without resorting to short‑term service cuts or merely trying to raise additional revenue.
In short, Werding believes that piecemeal spending restrictions or revenue‑mobilisation tactics are ineffective; comprehensive, forward‑looking reforms are required to resolve the real budgetary challenges of Germany’s healthcare system.