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Expenditure on medicinal products is growing: 7.7 percent increase in the first quarter!
In the first quarter of 2025, spending on medicinal products will increase by 7.7%. What does this mean for GKV finances?
Expenditure on medicinal products is growing: 7.7 percent increase in the first quarter!
The financial situation of statutory health insurance (GKV) is overall positive in the first quarter of 2025, albeit with critical warning signals. How UP-currently reported, medical expenditures rose by 7.7 percent. This means that spending on medicinal products in this period was approximately 3.51 billion euros, an increase of 251 million euros compared to the same period last year.
According to the latest data, medicinal products account for around 4 percent of total health insurance expenditure. The largest increase was recorded in the area of inpatient hospital stays, while the administrative costs of health insurance companies also showed an upward trend. The health insurance companies' income amounted to around 88.3 billion euros, while expenses were around 86.5 billion euros.
Surpluses and financial reserves
In the first three months of 2025, the 94 health insurance companies achieved a surplus of 1.8 billion euros. These are encouraging figures, but they are overshadowed by negative developments. The financial reserves of the health insurance companies amounted to around 3.6 billion euros by the end of March, which corresponds to an average of just 0.1 monthly expenses. This reserve is only half the legally required minimum reserve of 0.2 monthly expenses.
However, the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) warns that the positive financial results are not a sign of an easing financial situation in the statutory health insurance system. This makes it clear that despite a surplus and increasing revenues, long-term stability remains at risk.
Macroeconomic classification
The development of expenditure on medicinal products is an indicator of the overall economic situation of the GKV. According to that National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds Analysis of these expenses and other metrics is critical to assess the health of the system. Without comprehensive measures to stabilize financial reserves, the GKV could face considerable challenges. Administrative costs and expenditure incurred in the health sector should therefore continue to be monitored and analyzed to ensure positive developments.