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Berlin – Following the second agreement on the future federal budget, the traffic light government comprising the SPD, Greens and FDP today submitted its draft budget for next year to the Bundestag. The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has to make do with a little less money.
As previously planned, individual plan 15 of the federal budget for 2025 includes expenditure of EUR 16.44 billion, compared with EUR 16.71 billion this year. Revenue is estimated at EUR 106.18 million (2024: EUR 104.32 million).
According to the plans, commitment authorizations under Section 15 – i.e. financial obligations that go beyond the financial year – amount to €299.36 million by 2028.
As in previous years, the largest cost item is the federal subsidy to the health fund, which amounts to 14.5 billion euros. It serves as a “fixed compensation for the health insurers’ expenses for social tasks”.
Health insurance companies have been complaining for years that there are not enough funds. There is also a gap: neither the rising costs of care nor the additional costs of statutory health insurance that are expected due to the numerous laws are taken into account.
As in the current year, there will be no federal subsidy for social long-term care insurance (SPV) in 2025. This amount was still one billion euros in 2023.
Expenditure on nursing care and other social security will amount to €81.77 million in 2025 (2024: €79.61 million). €959.29 million is earmarked for prevention and health associations, after €1.09 billion this year.
Subsidies to combat the coronavirus amount to EUR 60 million (2024: EUR 15 million). Subsidies for the centralised procurement of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are to be increased to EUR 427.42 million (2024: EUR 346.23 million). EUR 336.1 million will be made available to finance pandemic preparedness contracts (2024: EUR 486.12 million).
The “Public Health Service Pact” will receive €54.22 million, up from €163.82 million this year. €185.15 million is earmarked for research projects and institutions (2024: €176 million).
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The “international health system” is represented in the budget with 132.35 million euros (2024: 133.61 million euros). As was the case this year, 60.25 million euros are earmarked for strengthening international public health.
In total, the federal budget for 2025 foresees expenditure of 488.67 billion euros (2024: 488.88 billion euros). 81.01 billion euros are reported as investments (2024: 70.82 billion euros). The new debt will be 51.3 billion euros, which is below the net borrowing permitted by the debt rule.
The Budget Committee will now consider the government’s plans. A decision in parliament is expected at the end of November. Budget holders in parliament usually still make corrections to the government’s plans. © may/EB/aerzteblatt.de