Germany: Bundestag to vote on health care savings
Skip next section Health care package expected to pass in Bundestag 07/10/2026 July 10, 2026 Health care package expected to pass in Bundestag Germany's lower
Skip next section Health care package expected to pass in Bundestag 07/10/2026 July 10, 2026 Health care package expected to pass in Bundestag Germany's lower house, the Bundestag, is expected to vote for passing a a package of savings in the country's healthcare expenditure.
The package, which will apply from the 2027 budget, will affect doctors' practices, hospitals, pharmacies and the pharmaceutical industry. It includes higher co-payments for prescription medicines and tighter rules governing the free co-insurance of spouses under Germany's statutory health insurance system, among other measures.
Attempts to delay the vote by asking the country's Constitutional Court to intervene through emergency applications, arguing parliament did not have enough time to scrutinize some last-minute changes made to the bill, was rejected. While the package is expected to pass in the Bundestag, it could still face opposition in the Bundesrat, Germany's upper house.
The cost-saving measures have also triggered protests by health care staff in Germany.
The BriefWire