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Cuts Planned — Psychotherapists Warn of Practice Closures

Cuts Planned — Psychotherapists Warn of Practice Closures
Following a 4.5 percent reduction in fees effective April 1, the federal government is planning further cuts to psychotherapy. (File photo) / Photo: Christian Charisius/dpa
From: DieSachsen News
Psychotherapists are sounding the alarm: Planned cuts could result in more than one in three therapy sessions being canceled starting in 2027. Patients are already waiting months for treatment.

Due to the federal government’s planned cuts, psychotherapists in Saxony are warning that practices will close and thousands of therapy hours will be lost. In the draft bill, which is intended to plug the funding gap in the statutory health insurance systems, psychotherapy is affected by an alarming number of cuts, criticized Winja Buss, a therapist from Leipzig and an active member of the Psychotherapy Action Alliance.

“The worst part is the budgeting. That’s going to be the death of us,” said Buss. According to the plans, psychotherapy—similar to medical care—would be capped by an overall budget, and services would no longer be funded without limit. In psychotherapy, this is completely nonsensical because services are defined down to the minute, Buss said.

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Over a third of sessions could be cut

In addition, among other things, the surcharges for short-term therapy are to be eliminated. If the law is passed as planned, about 38 percent of therapy sessions could be cut starting in January 2027—that would amount to 400,000 sessions per week nationwide, Buss warned. The effects are already becoming apparent. 

Buss herself had planned to launch two new group therapy sessions at her practice in Leipzig, which would have allowed her to treat 18 additional patients—but due to the unclear funding situation, the plan is now on hold.

Patients Wait a Long Time for Therapy

In Saxony, the level of care is already considered low. According to data from the Saxony Association of Panel Physicians, around 1,100 therapists were practicing in the state at the beginning of the year. Patients wait five to ten weeks for an initial consultation, and it can take as long as four to six and a half months before therapy begins, as Franziska Rietzschel, a psychotherapist from Dresden, explained.

During this time, patients’ situations can worsen, Rietzschel explained. “Suppose you have mild depression and can’t even get out of bed; you don’t know what to do.” Turning to alcohol is then an obvious choice. This can lead to the development of an additional addiction or substance abuse—and mild depression may eventually turn into severe depression.

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