Federal Cabinet decides on nursing reform to stabilize the system

Federal Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) described the care reform approved by the cabinet as the “first important step towards stabilizing the care system”. With the legislative package launched on Wednesday, an impending deficit of eight billion euros will be averted, nursing care will be secured and the general contribution rates will remain stable in the coming year, said Linnemann in Berlin. However, fundamental and far-reaching changes will be shifted to an expert commission that is scheduled to begin its work in October.

This creates reliability for those in need of care and their relatives at a time when the system is under massive financial pressure, said Linnemann. The number of people requiring care has tripled to around six million in the past 20 years. The minister emphasized the importance of home care: “The people who need to be cared for at home, especially their relatives, support the system.” That is why the originally considered reduction in pension insurance contributions for caring relatives is completely off the table.

However, according to the minister, savings are necessary in order to bring finances into balance. The assessment system should be changed and made more targeted. While the general contribution rate remains stable at 3.6 percent, the surcharge for childless people increases by 0.3 percentage points. The contribution assessment limit will be raised by 300 euros, which is less than initially planned. In the future, a surcharge of 0.52 points will also be charged for spouses who have previously been co-insured without paying contributions.

However, Linnemann does not want to “simply speak of a savings law” in his draft for a care reorganization law, which the cabinet passed this morning. There are “also many structural components” under the motto “rehab before care,” he said.

In addition, insured persons aged 60 and over will in future be entitled to an early detection examination (“Check-up 60+”). Care in acute nursing situations is to be improved; from 2028 there will also be acute short-term care places. A so-called social space budget of around 3,600 euros per year will be introduced for families with children in need of care.

The fundamental reorganization of the system is to be prepared by a commission that will present a draft by the end of January. “A draft that should make nursing fit for the 1930s,” said Linnemann. His goal is for a corresponding law to come into force on July 1, 2027.

The agreement in the cabinet was preceded by tough negotiations between the Union and the SPD. Both coalition partners are under pressure after defeats in the recent state elections. The SPD in particular had pushed for reforms that did not just focus on savings at the expense of the insured.