The head of the Chancellery, Thorsten Frei (CDU), maintained that the current timeline for the planned healthcare reform remains fixed, despite internal discussions within the coalition. Speaking to RTL and ntv, Frei acknowledged, “Yes, it is extremely ambitious. We knew that from the beginning. But it has to be held to”. He added that successfully driving the issue forward ultimately requires a consensus built upon good will.
Frei further noted that it was expected for various groups with differing interests to voice their opinions, calling this neither exceptional nor problematic. However, he emphasized a critical point: “The fact is, if we need to save over 15 billion euros next year just to keep contributions stable for healthcare, and 40 billion euros by 2030, we can only achieve it if all parties involved in the system are equally incorporated”. According to Frei, it is crucial that all groups contribute their share, ensuring that everyone views the process as equitable and that no single group bears excessive burdens.
Regarding the debate over financing healthcare costs for recipients of the citizen’s benefit (“Bürgergeld”), the Chancellery head remarked, “Of course, it would be right if a higher proportion of tax funds were directed to health insurance. That is true. On the other side, in statutory health insurance, basically no one pays exactly the amount they consume. Some pay more, and others pay less; it is a solidary system”. He acknowledged that the fundamental issue of whether sufficient tax funds are available for citizens receiving benefits has not been resolved across decades. “I think it would be good if we could solve that”.
Despite this, Frei dismissed the idea of covering the entire cost-approximately twelve billion euros-solely through the federal budget as unrealistic. “That is unrealistic, and I must say that quite openly” he stated. “Because this money simply does not exist in the federal budget. And I want to stress again: this is not a new problem, but a decades-old problem within the Federal Republic of Germany. And that is why, I believe, great care must be taken when creating the impression that this can be resolved with a simple gesture”.
