Liability insurance
New contract: An entire profession breathes a sigh of relief
Aug 27, 2026 – 1:06 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Midwives pay large sums for their professional liability insurance. A new contract is now causing relief for obstetricians.
A few years ago, ever higher insurance premiums led to many midwives giving up their profession. Midwives who provided obstetric care paid over 5,000 euros a year for their professional liability insurance – within ten years the premiums had quadrupled. This sum was often impossible, especially for freelance midwives. The few insurers who still wanted to underwrite the risk regularly increased their prices.
New contract signed
Now there is positive news from the midwives’ perspective. The German Midwives Association has signed a new group contract valid until 2031 with an insurance consortium and the Hevianna insurance service. This provision provides for stable or even decreasing insurance contributions for the approximately 16,000 freelance midwives organized in the association. In addition, the contract is valid for four and a half years instead of just three years, which means more planning for the midwives. Higher insurance sums are also paid.
“We see the new contract as a positive signal that our quality management is increasingly demonstrating how high-quality and safe midwifery work is implemented,” said Annika Wanierke, President of the German Midwives Association, commenting on the conclusion of the contract, which was preceded by 14 months of negotiations.
Liability insurance is mandatory
Midwives are required by professional law to take out liability insurance for their professional activities. The number of insurance-related malpractice cases among midwives is small. However, these are associated with increasingly higher costs for insurers. Thanks to medical advances, children with birth defects live longer, which increases costs for insurers. At the same time, courts are awarding families higher compensation.
The number of insurers who are even willing to take on this risk is small – another factor driving up prices. This makes the contract negotiations with the remaining insurance consortium led by the Bavarian Insurance Chamber all the more crucial. Those too allianceHDI and R+V are involved in the consortium.
According to those involved, the key reason for the improved contract conditions was the positive development in claims for midwives providing obstetric care. A newly introduced risk management program for midwives and the academization of the profession – combined with significantly improved training and further education – also play a role.
