Stand: 16 October 2026. The average supplementary contribution (Zusatzbeitrag) in Germany’s statutory health insurance is expected to stay at 2.9 per cent in 2027. That is the conclusion of the GKV Schätzerkreis, the expert panel whose forecast the Federal Social Insurance Office published on 14 October. Without countermeasures, figures of up to 3.8 per cent had been mentioned.
Insurers are expected to spend about €378bn in 2027, up from roughly €370bn this year – growth of under 3 per cent, after almost 8 per cent a year in 2024 and 2025 and around 7 per cent in 2026. The savings law passed in the summer is meant to relieve insurers by up to €15bn, according to the health ministry. Revenue to the central Gesundheitsfonds is put at €320.7bn, so supplementary contributions still have to close a large gap.
Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) called it a success: “Wir haben unser Ziel erreicht. Der durchschnittliche Zusatzbeitragssatz bleibt im kommenden Jahr stabil” – we have reached our goal, the average rate stays stable next year. He added that the structural problems of statutory health insurance must still be solved. Jürgen Hohnl, managing director of the IKK e. V. association, called for deep structural reforms to start quickly, while the Verband der Ersatzkassen doubts that the planned savings will be enough.
For your own wallet, the 2.9 means little. It is a calculation benchmark, not a cap. Members currently pay about 3.1 per cent on average, and individual funds charge anything from 2.18 to 4.39 per cent. On a gross salary of €3,000, the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive fund is about €33 a month for the employee, close to €400 a year (our own calculation; the employer pays the same amount again). Children and non-working spouses are usually insured free of charge and move with you.
The dates to watch:
- By 1 November: the health ministry sets the official average rate.
- November and December: individual funds decide their 2027 rates.
- If your fund raises its rate on 1 January, you can use the special right of termination until 31 January 2027. Membership then ends at the end of March, and the new fund starts on 1 April.
Our assessment, with due caution: a stable average does not mean every fund will stand still. Many already charge more than 2.9 per cent while rebuilding reserves, so some are likely to raise rates at the turn of the year and others to cut them. Since late July, funds no longer have to notify members in writing about increases, so anyone who wants to save should compare rates in December. Those earning more than €5,812.50 a month will also pay more in 2027 at an unchanged rate, because the contribution ceiling is due to rise to €6,375 (cabinet decision of 7 October; the Bundesrat has yet to approve).
Earlier coverage: Health insurance 2027: your deadline to switch if rates rise.
Sources: Federal Social Insurance Office, Deutsche Handwerks-Zeitung, epd/evangelisch.de, Stuttgarter Zeitung
