German Coalition Politicians Propose Savings for 2025 Health Reform

As Germany faces financial challenges in its statutory health insurance (GKV), coalition politicians from the Union and SPD have put forward concrete savings proposals for the upcoming 2025 healthcare reform. Albert Stegemann, deputy chairman of the Union faction, advocates for higher patient co-payments and introducing a primary care system. He estimates that a 10% reduction in doctor visits through primary care could save up to 5 billion euros annually.

SPD health spokesman Christos Pantazis highlights that reforming the emergency and rescue services could yield savings of up to 6 billion euros per year. However, he stresses that the reform's burdens must be fairly distributed among all health system stakeholders including doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceutical companies.

Additionally, CSU politician Stephan Pilsinger emphasizes prevention efforts, projecting potential annual savings between 10 to 20 billion euros through improved preventive measures. Green party’s Armin Grau supports comprehensive reforms, encompassing both emergency services and primary care systems.

Multiple politicians reject introducing fixed fees for doctor visits, citing that such measures would unfairly burden patients without effectively controlling costs. The GKV-Spitzenverband underlines the necessity of structural reforms to curb expenditure growth sustainably.

These proposals reflect ongoing political attempts to balance cost control with social fairness within Germany’s healthcare system ahead of the critical 2025 reform.