Higher co-payments from 2027: what applies to medical aids

On 1 January 2027, statutory co-payments rise by half. If you receive incontinence, ostomy or catheter supplies every month, you should also know about an error in the text of the law.

With statutory health insurance (Krankenkasse) in Germany, adults pay part of the cost of many benefits themselves – this is the co-payment (Zuzahlung).

The law behind the increase

The changes are contained in the Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in Statutory Health Insurance (GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz) of 24 July 2026, promulgated on 29 July 2026 in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt, Part I No. 228). Most of it has applied since the following day. However, under Article 8(2), the new amounts in § 61 SGB V (Social Code Book V; Article 1 No. 23) only come into force on 1 January 2027. The first sentence will then read:

“Co-payments to be made by insured persons amount to 10 per cent of the selling price, but at least 7.50 euros and no more than 15 euros; in each case, however, not more than the cost of the item …”

§ 61, sentence 1 SGB V in the version applicable from 1 January 2027 (our translation)

The percentage stays the same, while the minimum and maximum amounts rise by half, as do the fixed amounts for hospital stays, therapeutic services and home nursing care (see table). The Federal Ministry of Health justifies this by saying that co-payments have hardly changed since 2004, while prices and wages have risen by around 50 per cent.

Why the law already says 15 euros for consumable medical aids

The co-payment for medical aids (Hilfsmittel) is governed by § 33(8) SGB V in two stages. For ordinary medical aids, sentence 1 refers to § 61 – so there the co-payment rises as soon as the new version applies. Sentence 3 sets a separate monthly maximum for consumable medical aids. The law changed this figure separately:

“In § 33(8), sentence 3, the figure ‘10 euros’ is replaced by the figure ‘15 euros’.”

Article 1 No. 12a GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz (our translation)

This change was still missing from the bill adopted by the Federal Cabinet on 29 April 2026; it was only added during the parliamentary procedure through an amendment. No. 12a does not appear in the list of provisions that only apply from 2027 – so, according to the wording, it has applied since the day after promulgation, 30 July 2026. The text of the law on gesetze-im-internet.de still states 15 euros on 24 September 2026.

According to reports in the specialist press, the Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed that the change is only meant to take effect on 1 January 2027; it intends to correct the editorial error in a further legislative procedure. Until then, a transitional arrangement applies: until 31 December 2026, “the previous co-payment rules remain unchanged”, according to a notice to the manufacturers of pharmacy software. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV-Spitzenverband) intends to inform the health insurance funds in a circular.

For you, this means: until the end of the year, you pay no more than 10 euros a month in co-payments for consumable medical aids, and no more than 15 euros from 1 January 2027.

What applies when

Benefit	until 31 December 2026	from 1 January 2027
Consumable medical aids, such as pads, pants, catheters, urine and ostomy bags	10 per cent, no more than 10 euros a month	10 per cent, no more than 15 euros a month
Other medical aids, such as a rollator or a support bandage	10 per cent, at least 5 and no more than 10 euros per medical aid	10 per cent, at least 7.50 and no more than 15 euros per medical aid
Medicines and dressings	10 per cent, at least 5 and no more than 10 euros per item	10 per cent, at least 7.50 and no more than 15 euros per item
Hospital	10 euros per day, for no more than 28 days a year	15 euros per day, for no more than 28 days a year
Therapeutic services, such as physiotherapy	10 per cent of the costs and 10 euros per prescription	10 per cent of the costs and 15 euros per prescription
Home nursing care	10 per cent of the costs and 10 euros per prescription, limited to 28 days a year	10 per cent of the costs and 15 euros per prescription, limited to 28 days a year

The co-payment is never higher than the cost of the item. Children and young people under 18 do not pay co-payments for these benefits.

A worked example

For consumable medical aids, there is no minimum amount, only the upper limit. If your fund pays 80 euros for your monthly supply of pads, you pay 8 euros – this does not change. At 120 euros, you pay 10 euros until the end of the year, and 12 euros from January. You reach the new limit of 15 euros from a monthly amount of 150 euros. So in no case is it more than 5 euros extra a month.

The annual cap stays the same

The law does not change § 62 SGB V. In a calendar year, you pay co-payments of no more than 2 per cent of your annual gross income for living costs, or no more than 1 per cent if you are in long-term treatment for a serious chronic illness. The co-payments and income of family members living in the same household are added together.

So the annual limit depends on income, not on the individual amounts. If you have reached it in the past, from 2027 you will simply reach it earlier in the year. You apply to your health insurance fund for the exemption again for each calendar year; keep your receipts for this.

What was dropped during the legislative process

The government draft provided for co-payments to be adjusted every year from 2028 in line with the development of income subject to contributions. The ministry would have had to publish the new amounts in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger) by 15 September each year. These sentences are missing from the law as promulgated. It remains a one-off increase – a further one would require a new law.

Frequently asked questions

Will I pay a higher co-payment for my pads in 2027?

Only if your fund pays more than 100 euros for your monthly supply. Then your co-payment rises by up to 5 euros a month. If the amount is lower, you pay 10 per cent as before.

I have already been charged 15 euros a month since August. Is that correct?

Not under the transitional arrangement: until 31 December 2026, the upper limit of 10 euros applies to consumable medical aids. Raise this with your supplier or your health insurance fund.

Does the new limit also apply to ostomy supplies and catheters?

Yes. Ostomy supplies, intermittent catheters and urine bags are also consumable medical aids. The same monthly limit applies to them as to pads.

I am exempt from co-payments for 2026. What changes?

Your exemption applies until the end of the calendar year for which it was issued. For 2027, you submit a new application; the annual cap remains unchanged.

Does the increase also affect care aids from the long-term care insurance?

No. Consumable care aids (Pflegehilfsmittel), such as disposable gloves or bed protectors, are free of co-payments under § 40 SGB XI; this law does not change that. The difference between the health insurance fund and the long-term care insurance (Pflegekasse) is explained in the article Health insurance or long-term care insurance.

Sources

• Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in Statutory Health Insurance (GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz) of 24 July 2026, Federal Law Gazette 2026 Part I No. 228 – Article 1 Nos. 12a and 23, Article 8 (in German)
• GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz: procedure and documents, including the Federal Government’s bill, and questions and answers, Federal Ministry of Health (in German)
• SGB V: § 33 – Medical aids, § 37 – Home nursing care, § 39 – Hospital treatment, § 61 – Co-payments, § 62 – Annual cap; § 40 SGB XI – Care aids, Federal Ministry of Justice (in German)
• BStabG: Higher co-payment came into force too early, APOTHEKE ADHOC, 31 July 2026 (in German)
• Co-payments for medical aids: transitional solution because of an error in the law, Pharmazeutische Zeitung, 19 August 2026 (in German)
• Co-payments and exemption from co-payments, gesund.bund.de, Federal Ministry of Health (in German)

Note: This article gives a general overview and does not replace medical or legal advice. Your health insurance fund or long-term care insurance decides on your entitlement. The text was written with the help of artificial intelligence; all information has been checked against the sources listed. As of: 24 September 2026.