The draft bill to stabilize statutory health insurance (GKV) premiums, which was approved by the Federal Cabinet on April 29, 2026, is a response to rising expenditures in the healthcare system and provides for a broad package of cost-containment measures that is already being critically debated by policymakers and industry associations.
The publicly available version of the draft also provides for adjustments to digitally supported therapeutic interventions (DiGA). The focus is particularly on changes to the reimbursement mechanisms under Section 134 of Book V of the Social Code (SGB V).
The Overview of Changes:
- Introduction of mandatory price reductions based on volume of service provision →Reimbursement amounts decrease gradually as DiGA usage increases
- New maximum amount also for DiGA applications that cannot be grouped→Even individual or specialized applications will be subject to a price cap in the future
- Extension of premium rate stability to selective contracts →Reimbursements under individual contracts will be more closely tied to general spending limits
In its statement, the SVDGV takes a critical view of these points and sees deviations from the previous, more benefit-based reimbursement logic, particularly with regard to the planned price-volume mechanisms and the flat-rate maximum amounts.