(de-news.net) – Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has convened the Health Finance Commission, which held its inaugural meeting in Berlin to initiate the development of reform strategies aimed at securing the long-term financial stability of Germany’s statutory health insurance system. The commission is expected to present its recommendations by March 2026—one year earlier than stipulated in the coalition agreement—with the objective of maintaining contribution levels from 2027 onward without necessitating increases.

Minister Warken emphasized the commission’s autonomy in conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the system and underscored the urgency of addressing the projected structural deficit, which is anticipated to reach a double-digit billion euro range. The commission elected Professor Wolfgang Greiner as chair, with Professors Leonie Sundmacher and Ferdinand Gerlach serving as deputy chairs. Its membership comprises leading academics in the fields of public law, general medicine, health economics, public health, healthcare management, labor law, quantitative healthcare research, translational medical ethics, and economics.

Dagmar Schmidt, deputy chair of the SPD parliamentary group, had cautioned against potential reductions in benefits and reiterated that the commission’s principal mandate should be to enhance patient care through substantive structural reforms and more efficient resource utilization. She reaffirmed her party’s opposition to privatization and contribution increases, advocating instead for a financing model grounded in principles of social equity and solidarity.