Brandenburg pauses ambulance fee notices amid ongoing cost disputes

A temporary halt on planned fee notices for emergency transports has been announced in Cottbus and Dahme-Spreewald. The move comes as fresh negotiations over ambulance call costs begin this week between the state government, local authorities, and insurers. The dispute centres on billing patients for ambulance callouts where no transport to hospital occurs. A 2026 ruling by the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg confirmed that health insurers are not required to cover these costs. Since then, districts have had the legal right to charge patients for such calls.

Last summer, an agreement excluded non-transport calls from reimbursement, leaving the issue unresolved. Märkisch-Oderland had intended to start issuing fee notices for these cases in late April 2026. However, Health Minister René Wilke (SPD) criticised the district's approach as premature, urging them to await the outcome of the latest talks. The district argues that emergency services only receive payment when a transport actually happens. This has led to the decision to bill patients for non-transport calls. Meanwhile, Minister-President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) had called for a resolution to the dispute a year ago, but no final agreement has yet been reached.

The moratorium delays the planned fee notices for now. Negotiations continue between the state, local authorities, and health insurers to find a long-term solution. It remains unclear how many Brandenburg districts will proceed with billing for non-transport ambulance calls once talks conclude.