Nordrhein-Westfalen has won nearly two-thirds of the legal challenges brought against its hospital reform measures. According to a spokesman for the NRW Health Ministry speaking to the “Rheinische Post”, 83 emergency proceedings were initiated before administrative courts overall. Of these, 54 cases have been ruled in favor of the state, while eleven decisions favored the hospitals themselves. In nine instances, the court rulings resulted in mixed outcomes, with partial success for both the state and the hospital providers. Additionally, three procedures were dropped, and six verdicts are still pending. Beyond these urgent proceedings, clinics have launched 97 main suits, the judgments on which are yet to be delivered. Separately, the state has withheld provision mandates from many clinics regarding cancer interventions and artificial joint replacements.
The health reform proposed by Federal Minister Nina Warken (CDU) is set for the Bundesrat next week. In this environment, NRW Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) intends to advocate fiercely for hospitals. He emphasized that the draft places steep savings requirements on financially burdened hospitals, stating: “We will actively campaign in the Bundesrat to limit burdens on hospitals, establish clearer planning certainty, and cut bureaucracy so that this reform is implemented through orderly structural decisions rather than hospital bankruptcies.”
Despite his concerns about implementation, Laumann expressed general support for Warken’s overhaul. He praised the principle of the legislative draft, noting that it introduces an expenditure policy tied to revenue, meaning health insurers will only spend funds that they collect. “I express my full support for this,” he added.
