Berlin, April 15, 2026 – Thousands took to the streets across several German cities today to protest against fee cuts in psychotherapy. In Berlin, a large crowd gathered in the government district before marching to the headquarters of the GKV-Spitzenverband (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds).
Fee Cuts Spark Widespread Outcry
The protests follow a decision by the Extended Evaluation Committee in the first half of March to reduce fees for psychotherapeutic services starting April 1. This move has drawn strong criticism from professional associations and politicians alike.
Participants in the demonstrations demanded a reversal of the cuts and a strengthening of outpatient psychotherapeutic care. “We call on the Federal Ministry of Health to object to this outrageous decision,” said Enno Maaß, federal chairman of the German Psychotherapists’ Association (DPtV), at the rally in Berlin. “Here, care is being trampled underfoot.”
Solidarity from the KBV and Political Support
Andreas Gassen, board member of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), expressed solidarity with the psychotherapists at the podium in front of the Reichstag building. “We stand together here to protest against this unacceptable procedure,” Gassen stated, highlighting the increasing demand for psychotherapeutic treatments and calling the fee cut “an unprecedented event.”
Gassen emphasized that the Federal Ministry of Health could and should object to the decision, considering it unlawful. “Psychotherapy is an essential pillar of care. […] And now a chainsaw is being applied to it.” He added that patients would also suffer as a result.
Looking ahead to upcoming political decisions, Gassen warned, “One thing is clear: the signs point to a deterioration in care.” He noted that some of the proposed savings by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) would “gravely” affect psychotherapy, a comment met with boos and whistles from the demonstrators.
Political support also came from Andreas Philippi (SPD), Minister of Health for Lower Saxony, who issued a written statement. “I consider the 4.5 percent fee reduction for psychotherapists to be an absolute wrong decision,” he said. Philippi warned that any restriction on remuneration threatened to prolong already long waiting times and further complicate access to urgently needed treatment. Lower Saxony has urged the BMG to object to and review the self-governing body’s decision.
Ricarda Lang, a Green Party politician, also supported the therapists’ demands at the Berlin rally. “The planned cuts are harmful in many respects,” she said, citing concerns for the mental health of children and adolescents, statutorily insured individuals, the profession’s high proportion of women, and the economy. “Every euro invested in mental health is a euro that pays off later.” Lang also appealed to the BMG to intervene.
The only parties that had not yet responded to the issue, according to speakers on stage, were the CDU/CSU and the AfD.
Peaceful but Angry Protests Target GKV-Spitzenverband
Despite the high volume from chants and whistles, the atmosphere in Berlin remained peaceful. However, placards displayed clear anger, with slogans such as “I am therapisst,” “I breathe in, I freak out!” and “Cut yourselves.”
Following the final rally in front of the building housing the GKV-Spitzenverband, a poster-sized fact sheet on psychotherapy remuneration was displayed near the entrance. Its conclusion read: “The fee cut endangers care! The 4.5 percent devaluation of psychotherapeutic services sends a fatal signal and will worsen outpatient care for mentally ill people.”
Christina Jochim, federal chairwoman of the German Psychotherapists’ Association, told Deutsches Ärzteblatt that no one from the GKV-Spitzenverband was willing to come out to address the protesters. In the evening, the BMG was expected to receive a petition addressed to the Ministry, the GKV-Spitzenverband, and the KBV, demanding, among other things, the reversal of the devaluation. By early evening, nearly 570,000 signatures had been collected.
While organizers reported approximately 4,000 protesters in Berlin, Berlin police estimated around 1,600 participants.
The GKV-Spitzenverband, when asked by Deutsches Ärzteblatt, stated: “That an interest group demonstrates against the clear majority decision of the Extended Evaluation Committee and advocates for its own fee interests is, of course, its good democratic right.” The association added that it had extensively explained and justified the reasons for the fee adjustment and had “nothing to add.”
Call for a Factual Debate and Better Utilization of Resources
Ulrike Elsner, CEO of the Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds (vdek), called on psychotherapists to “return to a factual debate.” She argued that focusing solely on fee cuts was “not appropriate,” as it ignored the underlying problems in psychotherapeutic care and the acute financial challenges facing statutory health insurance funds.
Elsner emphasized that existing resources needed to be better utilized and care more closely aligned with demand. She suggested strengthening group therapies and expanding appointment booking platforms. Furthermore, she stressed that care for severely ill individuals should be a priority.
The vdek also highlighted that Germany’s psychotherapeutic care structures were among “the best in the world.” They noted that the number of outpatient psychotherapists increased from approximately 25,600 in 2013 to about 40,000 in 2024. In contrast, the fact sheet from psychotherapy associations argued that the increase in full-time equivalents between 2015 and 2025 was only 8.7 percent.
“Emergency Blankets for Psychotherapy”
Jochim described the reality in practices, where people constantly call, saying, “I’ve called everywhere. I can’t go on.” She added, “Those who save on psychotherapy save on people in need – and we say no to that.” Many participants were wrapped in emergency blankets to symbolize, according to Jochim, that “psychotherapy as a treatment is an emergency blanket for people in crisis.” The demonstration aimed to ensure the rescue of psychotherapy.
In a written statement, KBV board members Gassen, Stephan Hofmeister, and Sibylle Steiner also urged general practitioners to speak out against Warken’s proposed savings. “We do not give up hope that politicians will still come to their senses. If not, service restrictions for insured persons are unavoidable. That is part of the truth – and must be said loudly.”
The event, titled “The Value of Psychotherapy,” was organized by various psychotherapeutic professional associations. They warned that the recently decided cuts posed a significant threat to psychotherapeutic care, potentially leading to economic pressure on practices, longer waiting times for treatment, worsened working conditions, and exacerbated recruitment problems.
The Federal Chamber of Psychotherapists (BPtK) recently accused the GKV-Spitzenverband of a “disinformation campaign” to legitimize the cuts with “false claims.” BPtK President Andrea Benecke refuted, among other things, the GKV-Spitzenverband’s assertions that psychotherapists’ fees were about 10 percent above the average fees of comparable medical groups and that the remuneration level would still be higher even after the reduction. Benecke clarified that these claims were incorrect in three ways.
She explained that the evaluation committee did not consider actual psychotherapist fees but rather “the theoretically achievable income of a maximally utilized model practice with 36 treatment hours of approval-required psychotherapy, which additionally has to provide other obligatory services, such as probationary sessions, biographical anamnesis, reports to the expert, etc.”
In contrast, the average fees of comparable medical groups referred exclusively to GKV income from two years ago, and an increased remuneration since then was not taken into account. Professional associations, in their criticism of the decision, also highlighted the growing need for psychotherapeutic support in times of multiple crises and protested against a “scandalous devaluation” of their services.
Source: https://www.aerzteblatt.de/news/proteste-gegen-kurzungen-in-der-psychotherapie-in-berlin-und-weiteren-stadten-ac5411e5-e350-4d16-9e60-3113201eafb8
