NEW YORK – Germany's public health insurance system has increased its annual budget for human genetic diagnostic services by €15.5 million ($16.7 million), the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) announced on Thursday.
The decision by the Evaluation Committee (EV), which represents KBV and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV), follows an annual review of human genetic services that found their volume continues to rise.
The budget increase, which will be made to the so-called "morbidity-related total compensation" (MGV) — the funding available from health insurance for most medical services, broken down by specialty — will take effect this year, according to the EV's decision.
The annual review goes back to a decision by the EV in 2020, in light of rising genetic testing services, to increase the annual funding for human genetic diagnostics by €45 million and to review and adjust its budget annually for five years. Last year, it increased funding for human genetics services by €11.7 million, and in 2023, it added €19.3 million to the annual budget.
Germany recently started a large-scale precision medicine pilot project that involves genomic testing for patients with rare diseases and advanced cancer. However, non-university medical providers were excluded from participating and said they were worried the project would reduce the available funding for human genetics services.