Press Release 68/2026
Criticism of the Contribution Rate Stabilization Act
Action day of the clinics: Health Minister Jung supports Saarland hospitals
On today's day of action, numerous hospitals in Saarland symbolically close their main entrances to protest against the contribution rate stabilization law planned by the federal government.
Health Minister Magnus Jung: “I stand behind the Saarland hospitals and emphasize the demand that the planned contribution rate stabilization law must be urgently adjusted. The need for reform of the statutory health insurance is beyond question, but the measures decided by the federal government pose a high risk of insolvency in the hospital sector.The hospitals have already contributed 1.8 billion euros this year towards contribution rate stabilization. Despite this, they will still be disproportionately burdened by the planned austerity measures, as they are expected to bear nearly 40% of the savings. This is disproportionate and threatens to jeopardize healthcare provision in Saarland in the short term.”
A corresponding proposal will be submitted to the Federal Council this Friday. The proposal states that the austerity measuresmust not lead to the closure of hospitals or result in a cold and uncontrolled structural consolidation. The objective of the personnel care budget, which aims to sustainably improve working conditions in nursing, must not be sacrificed to possible cost savings. Instead, there is potential for relief in reducing the currently massive bureaucraticrequirements, which is why the Federal Council is immediately calling for a bureaucracy reduction law.
Jung concluded: “In order to sustainably stabilize the statutory health insurance financially, the federal government must finally take over the costs for non-insurance benefits such as those for citizens receiving basic income support. I cannot understand that the general federal subsidy is even supposed to be cut. The same applies to the abolition of spouse insurance without contributions, especially since the bureaucratic effort involved in implementing it and the expected financial effect are not proportionate.”
