The Federal Joint Committee

The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is the highest decision-making body of the joint self-government of physicians, dentists, hospitals and health insurance funds in Germany.

It issues directives for the benefit catalogue of the statutory health insurance funds (GKV) for more than 74 million insured persons and thus specifies which services in medical care are reimbursed by the GKV.

The G-BA must put every new active pharmaceutical ingredient through an early benefit assessment within six months after it is launched on the German market. During the early benefit assessment, the G-BA examines whether the drug is really something new: if it offers patients greater benefit than comparable treatments that are already available.