Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU) anticipates that the center-left coalition will remain in power until the regular end of the election term. Speaking to the “Rheinische Post” she stated that she firmly believes in this and that the planned reforms are urgently necessary, tasks that only the current government is capable of implementing. She suggested that successfully securing a quick cabinet meeting regarding the statutory health care (GKV) financing reform demonstrates that this is feasible.
When asked if she regretted taking the health minister’s office given the months of criticism surrounding her reform plans, Warken replied, “I have never regretted the move. It truly is a challenging time, but I still find satisfaction in being able to effect change”. Despite the cost pressures and numerous problems she observes daily, she sees opportunities for improving the healthcare system and witnesses the contributions of many “highly motivated, very well-educated people”.
Regarding her role as a minister without specific background knowledge in health policy, she commented, “I think my unbiased perspective was occasionally useful. Because of this, it might have been easier for me to approach issues without hesitation”.
She also commented on specific reform content. On the topic of family insurance coverage, she expressed willingness to compromise but warned against backtracking from her current proposal, or simply because insufficient savings would be generated. She understood the demand from NRW Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) to transfer the planned regulations to civil servants, stating that imbalances between population groups must be avoided. However, classifying civil service laws is not within her purview.
Concerning the planned care reform, Warken noted that expenditures in the statutory long-term care insurance have been exceeding revenues for years, with the deficit projected to exceed 7.5 billion euros in 2027. While she stated that the elimination of care grades would not happen, she argued that the classification for grades 1 through 3 must revert to scientific recommendations. She claimed that the original eligibility criteria were set much lower, levels that could not be maintained today.
When asked about the most challenging lobbying group in the healthcare sector, Warken laughed, suggesting that most interest groups in Berlin are equally “properly loud”. She concluded that the first reflex for any group is always to see potential savings in others-a tactic she believes cannot succeed.
