Meridian · Freshness tracker

What's changed.

Dated updates to visa, tax, residency, citizenship, housing, and labour policy across every country tracked. Every entry cites its primary source and the date we last verified it.

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In force 15 Jan 2025
In force Healthcare

Electronic patient record (ePA) rollout begins nationwide

The opt-out electronic patient record (elektronische Patientenakte, ePA) was rolled out nationally by statutory health insurers from 15 January 2025, after pilot regions in early 2025. Insured residents automatically receive an ePA unless they opt out; doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies access the record via the Telematik-Infrastruktur with the patient's health card.

Who it affects: All residents covered by statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung).

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit ↗ · Bundesregierung (Federal Government) ↗ · verified 2026-04-18

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Healthcare

Statutory health-insurance supplementary contribution rate rises

The benchmark supplementary contribution rate (Zusatzbeitrag) for statutory health insurance rose from 1.7% to 2.5% on 1 January 2025, the sharpest single-year increase in over a decade, driven by hospital-funding reforms and rising pharmaceutical costs. Individual Krankenkassen set their own rate around this benchmark.

Who it affects: All residents enrolled in statutory health insurance.

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit ↗ · Bundesregierung (Federal Government) ↗ · verified 2026-04-21

In force 1 Jan 2025
In force Healthcare

Krankenhausreform (hospital structural reform) enters force

The Krankenhausversorgungsverbesserungsgesetz passed the Bundesrat on 22 November 2024 and came into force on 1 January 2025. It overhauls hospital funding — shifting from per-case DRG payments toward a part-reserved "Vorhaltepauschale" funding floor — and tightens minimum case volumes for specialist treatments, which is expected to consolidate smaller hospitals over the coming years.

Who it affects: All residents; particularly relevant for patients of smaller regional hospitals.

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit ↗ · Bundesregierung (Federal Government) ↗ · Bundesgesetzblatt (Federal Law Gazette) ↗ · verified 2026-04-21