Long -term legislative insurance is in crisis: there are no billions, and the contribution rates increase. The new working group of federal governments and governments of the States should now develop proposals for the reform of finance. On Monday, representatives gathered together at the first meeting with the Minister of Health Nina Warken in Berlin, and the results should be presented at the end of the year.
Financial gaps are not new. At the beginning of 2025, long -term maintenance insurance has recently increased contributions. This year there is only a small minus. Nevertheless, in 2026 a deficiency of 3.5 billion euros is expected, and, according to the Federal Audit Department, 12 billion euros disappear by 2029. Financial syringes are planned in the federal budget, but too little: this year the federal government wants to shoot at 500 million euros, in 2026 in 2026 in 2026, 1.5 billion was drawn up. According to Warken, Bundestag may provide additional funds, otherwise the contributions should be increased again recently in 2026.
One of the reasons is that the number of people in need of care increases significantly – from 4 million in 2019 to 5.6 million people today. According to calculations, in 2055 in 2055, 7.6 million people will be required. Costs increase, also because an urgent necessary nurse will pay better. The growing part of leaving the house should pay for people in need of care. In the first year, it is an average of almost 3,000 euros per month. More than a third of 800,000 people who need to care for houses rely on social assistance, and this trend is growing.
Problems should not be postponed to the future
Andreas Zaking, Karitas
Thus, the commission now should cope with all this, the SPD and the Union agreed with this in the coalition agreement. In addition to the Warken, the Minister of Family of Karin Gain also belongs to the working group, and the heads of responsible departments are part of the federal states. Municipal umbrella organizations also take part.
Representatives of practice are absent in the commission
Nevertheless, representatives of sponsorship associations are not invited to the commission. This is criticized by Andreas Weking, managing director of the Association of Catholic Elderly in Karitas. Cost carriers and service providers should have to go to the table, it requires the practice to be heard, and only politics could not determine the solutions. In the end, municipalities are presented, which subsequently bear responsibility for the implementation of many measures.
However, in addition to the reform, immediate help is needed, says Osking. Since many care facilities do not have enough money, because social security offices often do not process the use of those who need to care for quickly enough. The social security office should actually intervene if those who need care can not pay their own contribution, but the nursing home remain at the expense of processing. The web fund calls for the care fund, which, at least, partially compensates for the gaps. Otherwise, many houses will make bankruptcy. “Care speaks in one voice,” said Osking, the problem situation will be described similarly to all representatives of interests. “Now this should not be postponed for the future, problems should now be solved.”
One of the ways to bring more money to execution would also be the merger of the authorized and private insurance of long -term care. However, the abolition of this provided. Instead, she wants to create more incentives for private provision, she said on Monday on ZDF. It also did not exclude the reductions: more important than covering self -esteem is the question of what “we can still afford for ourselves.”
