Health policy
Free co-insurance before the end
March 23, 2026 – 4:38 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Millions of people benefit from free co-insurance in statutory health insurance. According to a press report, this should be abolished.
Statutory health insurance (GKV) could soon become noticeably more expensive for many families. The federal government is apparently planning to abolish free co-insurance for spouses. This is reported by the “Handelsblatt” and relies on information from coalition circles. However, a final decision is still pending.
Of the 74.2 million people insured by GKV, a total of 15.6 million are insured free of charge. The majority of these are children. As a rule, these are family insured up to the age of 18 – if you do not have your own income, the protection is extended up to the age of 23; through training or study, the age limit can be extended up to the age of 25.
Nothing should change for children or adolescents. The plans affect around three million adults. However, the plans provide for exceptions for people with children under the age of six or relatives in need of care.
The planned reform could save the federal government a low double-digit billion amount. The employers’ association, which also called for the abolition of free co-insurance last year, estimated the savings potential at around 2.8 billion euros.
At the end of March, a commission of experts will present proposals on how statutory health insurance can be financially stabilized. At the same time, however, the federal government itself is discussing reforms, according to the Handelsblatt.
By abolishing free co-insurance, the federal government is apparently also pursuing employment policy goals. Economists criticize that the rule represents an obstacle to employment: it sometimes makes it financially unattractive to take up work – after all, health insurance contributions would then have to be paid. Social associations counter that the abolition of free family insurance would particularly burden low-income families.
