Janosch Dahmen, the Green Party’s parliamentary spokesperson for health policy, sharply criticized the reform of the statutory health insurance system. Speaking to RTL and ntv on Wednesday, Dahmen argued that although the legislation is titled the Contribution Stabilization Act, it will ultimately fail to stabilize contributions. Instead, he asserted that the law is “insufficiently effective” and will merely force healthcare funds to raise their mandatory contributions in the years to come.
Furthermore, Dahmen accused the federal government of passing the financial burden onto payees and companies. According to him, the law shifts the financial strain “into the pockets of contributors” and also increases labor associated costs for businesses. He argued that what should have been a law aimed at providing relief would instead become a “burden law for ordinary people”.
He also directed criticism towards Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD), pointing out that the latter extracts two billion euros from the funds annually. Dahmen concluded that the reform will exacerbate an already significant problem, making it even larger.