Overview
- An Extended Valuation Committee ruling reduces remuneration for ambulatory psychotherapy by 4.5% starting April 1.
- The statutory insurers had pressed for cuts of up to 10%, framing the decision as a necessary cost measure for the strained health system.
- Protests spread from Leipzig and Magdeburg to Chemnitz, and a petition calling for reversal has surpassed 420,000 signatures.
- The Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung says it will sue to overturn the ruling, and the health ministry has acknowledged it is reviewing the matter.
- Therapist groups warn of longer waits and reduced access for publicly insured patients as practices face tight margins, with average net income far below medical peers and sessions reimbursed at about €120.