Health policy was not among the openly debated issues during the campaigns for the 2009 general elections in Germany. However, only two days after the vote, the chancellor-elect Angela Merkel and her conservative party (CDU/CSU) were struggling with their new coalition partner the Free Democrats (FDP) for a direction in the reform of the German health care sector. The coalition treaty signed on 24th of October includes plans for a fundamental reform of the health care financing system.