The statutory health insurance funds accuse the federal government of paying them too little in contributions for citizens’ benefit recipients. A lawsuit by the GKV Spitzenverband now follows.
dpa | In the dispute over billions in costs for Bürgergeld recipients, the statutory health insurance funds are suing the federal government. The state had tasked the health insurers with providing health care for Bürgergeld recipients, but leaves them bearing about two-thirds of the costs, criticized the GKV-Spitzenverband in Berlin. “That is currently around 10 billion euros per year.”
Therefore, in the interest of the roughly 75 million people with statutory health insurance, the GKV Spitzenverband filed the first lawsuits with the State Social Court of North Rhine-Westphalia. More lawsuits would follow in the coming days. The Rheinische Post had previously reported on the step.
Time and again, we have pointed out to policymakers the “illegal underfunding” of contributions for Bürgergeld recipients, criticized Uwe Klemens, chairman of the Administrative Board at the GKV-Spitzenverband. Time and again, a lot has been promised, but nothing has been implemented to this day. “From now on, the wave of lawsuits is rolling and we will not let up!”
Health Insurance Funds Warn of Rising Contributions for Policyholders
The state’s behavior is unfair toward statutory insureds, criticized Susanne Wagenmann, co-chair of the Administrative Board. “Through this underfunding, health insurance contributions rise faster, companies have ever higher labor costs, and employees keep less net from gross.”
Several health insurance funds such as DAK and IKK Brandenburg and Berlin want to join the lawsuit. The chairman of the DAK board, Andreas Storm, also criticizes the federal government. “We are also suing the current notices about the insufficient allocations from the Health Fund for the year 2026.”
Storm told Bild that if the statutory health insurance had received the federal funds due to them, totaling ten billion euros per year, contributions for insured persons and employers could remain stable in 2026. “It would amount to relief of 0.5 percentage points.”
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