Lower Saxony is planning hospital reform: 445 million euros for 2026!

Lower Saxony is planning hospital reform: 445 million euros for 2026!

An important meeting focused on health care took place today in Lower Saxony. On November 5, 2025, the hospital planning committee became active for the last time this year to discuss the update of the hospital plan. The focus was particularly on the relocation of planned beds within specialist departments and between network hospitals. Corporate law adjustments to the sponsorship were also intensively discussed. Items on the agenda also included expanding psychiatric capacities, where there is still a need for discussion. The Ministry of Social Affairs had already commissioned an independent needs assessment on these capacities in order to create a sound basis for future decisions, as kma-online.de reports.

In addition, ongoing and planned investment projects were discussed. The aim of this meeting was to create a reliable basis for investment decisions from 2026. Dr. Andreas Philippi, the Minister of Health, informed those present about the current status of the nationwide hospital reform. This reform, which came into force at the end of 2024 with the Hospital Care Improvement Act, is now to be further developed with the draft of the Hospital Adaptation Act (KHAG). However, initial agreements by the Federal Cabinet led to disagreement about the actual impact on patient care, which is of great importance for those involved in the healthcare system in view of the upcoming deliberations in the Bundestag, such as [aerzteblatt.de].

Financing and investments

At the meeting it was decided to apply to the Federal Office for Social Security (BAS) for structural measures for 2026 amounting to 445 million euros. Given the planned reforms, which could come into force from the first quarter of 2026, a ten-year implementation phase is envisaged, with provision for reserve financing. This stipulates that 60% of the operating costs will be paid as a flat rate from 2028. The discussion about specialist clinics and minimum quantities should also come into focus here, as any deviations should be permitted in order to ensure the quality of care.

Tom Bschor, former head of the government hospital commission, pointed out the challenges of hospital reform. He fears that some of the quality standards could be weakened and suggests introducing additional service groups such as pain medicine and angiology. In this context, the problem is that unclear criteria for “necessary” performance groups threaten to undermine the reform goals. Jens Scholz, chairman of the Schleswig-Holstein University Hospital, criticized the law as a “softening law”. Both require smart patient management to maintain quality of care, which is particularly relevant given the ongoing discussions in the healthcare sector.

Prospects and innovations

The members of the committee, including the Ministry of Health, municipal umbrella organizations and the Lower Saxony Hospital Association, became aware that they were operating in an area of ​​tension. Experts view the planned postponement of the regulations by one year as particularly problematic. These adjustments will also have an impact on the reimbursement of the measures, especially if outpatient treatments are temporarily to be reimbursed at the same level as inpatient treatments.

These developments show that there is a lot of movement in the healthcare system and that those responsible in Lower Saxony are working intensively on creating a stable and needs-based hospital landscape. It remains to be seen what the situation will really be like when the KHAG comes into force and how the future structural measures will influence health policy in Lower Saxony, both from an economic and qualitative perspective.