A heated debate has emerged in Germany over the future of dental care coverage after a business group linked to the CDU suggested removing dental treatment from statutory health insurance.
The discussion was triggered over the weekend when the CDU Economic Council published a set of economic reform proposals. Among them was the recommendation that statutory health insurers should no longer cover dental care, arguing that such services could be handled through private insurance instead.
The CDU Economic Council, which is independent of but closely associated with the Christian Democratic Union, said dental treatment should not continue to burden contributors to Germany’s pay-as-you-go insurance system. According to PADMEL, the group believes patients could insure themselves privately and benefit from lower statutory contributions.
Under the current system, statutory health insurance in Germany covers routine dental services such as check-ups, fillings and tooth extractions. More extensive or cosmetic treatments, including professional teeth cleaning, are typically excluded.
The proposal comes amid broader efforts to revive Germany’s struggling economy. While Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s €500 billion investment package is intended to stimulate growth, the CDU Economic Council has argued that deeper structural changes are needed. It claims shifting dental costs to individuals would free up income, boost consumer spending and support economic recovery.
The Council’s six-page policy paper also calls for tax cuts, lower energy prices, reduced bureaucracy and incentives for home ownership. It frames these measures as a return to the principles of the “social market economy,” a post-war economic model combining free markets with social safeguards.
The response from the federal government was swift and firm. Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) ruled out the proposal, saying it would undermine Germany’s solidarity-based healthcare system and weaken prevention efforts. Finance Minister and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) also rejected the idea, warning against a society where dental health reflects personal wealth.
Dental professionals strongly criticized the proposal. Martin Hendges of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists and Romy Ermler of the German Dental Association called it medically unsound, socially unjust and economically short-sighted. They warned that removing preventive dental care from statutory coverage would likely increase long-term healthcare costs rather than reduce them.
For now, the government has made clear that statutory dental coverage will remain unchanged, but the debate has highlighted growing tensions over how Germany should balance economic reform with social protection.