Karl Lauterbach (both SPD).”/>The federal government is being criticized for the upcoming increase in additional contributions to statutory health insurance (symbolic photo). © Sven Simon/Imago, Bernd Elmenthaler/Imago; Collage: RUHR24
Citizens will see an immense increase in health insurance contributions in 2025. The health insurance companies blame citizens’ money and the traffic lights.
Dortmund – Millions of people with statutory health insurance are threatened with an immense increase in health insurance contributions in 2025. For the coming year, the estimators at the Federal Office for Social Security expect an increase in the average additional health insurance contribution of 0.8 percent. The fund bosses blame the sharp increase on the traffic light government’s failure to provide citizens’ money.
Citizens’ money causes costs to explode: health insurance companies rail against the traffic lights
For millions of employees, the increase in health insurance contributions results in some significant losses in net wages. But the cost explosion is not only causing a clouded mood among citizens.
The health insurance companies are also complaining about the traffic light government because of the increase. As a result, the approximately 5.6 million citizens’ benefit recipients are jointly responsible for the increase in health insurance contributions. Because: While the average contribution of a minimum wage earner according to Bild is 350 euros (including the employer’s contribution), the flat rate paid by the federal government to the statutory health insurance (GKV) for citizens’ benefit recipients this year is 119.60 euros per person per month.
Citizens’ money causes a shock in health insurance contributions: failed traffic light project as trigger
The result is a discrepancy of 9.2 billion euros, which must be compensated by the contributor. It was originally agreed in the coalition agreement to “regularly dynamize the federal subsidy for statutory health insurance (GKV) and to finance higher contributions for recipients of citizen’s benefit.” This emerges from a response from the German Bundestag in May 2024.
“In view of the strained budget situation and the requirements of the debt brake, these plans have not yet been able to be implemented,” it continues. Due to this omission, the traffic light now has to face criticism from the health insurance companies (further news from politics at RUHR24).
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Health insurance fiasco thanks to citizens’ money: traffic light failure asks citizens to pay
DAK boss Andreas Strom expresses his anger towards the Bild newspaper Luft: “If the federal government had adequately financed the contributions for citizens’ benefit recipients, contributors would not have to pay the largest increase in contributions since 1975. Instead of an increase of 0.8 percentage points at the turn of the year, a moderate increase of 0.2 or 0.3 percentage points would have been realistic.”
In an interview with the tabloid, AOK boss Carola Reimann is also convinced that the federal government can curb rising health insurance contributions. “To do this, all they would have to do is keep their coalition promise and pay adequate flat-rate contributions for the health care of those receiving citizens’ benefit,” emphasized Reimann. Then the chairwoman of the AOK federal association would also consider a moderate increase in the additional contribution of 0.3 percent to be possible.
Cost explosion in health insurance contributions – Lauterbach also comes under criticism
Instead, millions of people insured with statutory health insurance must fear a historic increase in health insurance contributions in 2025. However, it has not yet been finally decided how high the contribution increase will actually be next year.
Most recently, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was also confronted with serious accusations due to the increase in health insurance contributions.
