Health insurance funds sharply dismiss the pharmacies’ call for higher fees, accusing them of spreading false claims.
Vice‑chair Stefanie Stoff‑Ahnis of the federal insurers’ association told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” that the story of a stagnant pharmacy remuneration policy since 2013 is untrue. From 2013 to 2024, the insurers’ annual payments to pharmacies increased by €1.5 billion, reaching €7.1 billion – a 26 % rise. This figure excludes services such as ointment production, infusion therapy, and vaccination work. “Pharmacy fees grow each year, all funded out of the contributions of statutory health‑insurance members” she said.
She explained how the compensation scheme works: for every pack dispensed, insurers add a surcharge of 3 % of its price. Because drug prices rise and pharmacies distribute more packs, the overall remuneration climbs automatically. Additional surcharges cover night and emergency services, the newly introduced courier‑service fee, and extra payments when drugs are unavailable and substitutes must be procured. The current black‑red coalition also plans further incentives, for example by broadening vaccination offerings.
Thomas Preis, head of the Abda pharmacy association, counters that a 13‑year‑long fee stagnation persists and calls for a uniform increase in the so‑called “Fixum” – the fixed amount paid per drug. The insurers prefer a differentiated approach. According to Stoff‑Ahnis, pharmacies in dense urban markets with multi‑million‑euro turnovers do not need higher fees, whereas low‑sales pharmacies in structurally weakened regions do. Rather than raising overall remuneration, they suggest a redistribution: high‑volume outlets would receive a lower fixed amount per pack, while low‑volume ones would be compensated higher.
In her view, the payment system should simply be better distributed. The costs that insurers levy on patients and employers need to reflect the actual service levels across all pharmacies.
