SPD is pushing for financial equalization between private and statutory nursing care insurance before a cabinet decision

Shortly before the planned cabinet decision on nursing care reform, the federal government is still negotiating the details of the project. Before a discussion between the coalition partners in the evening, the SPD health expert Christos Pantazis reiterated his party's call for changes.

“A blatant justice problem”

There is “a glaring fairness problem with the statutory nursing care insurance fund compared to private nursing care insurance,” said the health policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group on Deutschlandfunk. He expects the coalition to reach a fundamental agreement here by Wednesday.

Federal Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) wants to present a bill to the federal cabinet on Wednesday to prevent an impending billion-dollar deficit in statutory nursing care insurance this year. The SPD had already threatened to block a pure austerity law at the weekend and called for structural improvements.

SPD for care cap and greater burden distribution

Specifically, the Social Democrats are calling for a cap on the care costs for those affected in the home and for private individuals to contribute to the costs of statutory care insurance. Accordingly, the care-related personal contribution should amount to a maximum of 1,500 euros per month. Nursing insurance would have to cover the rest. The “common life risk of care” is unequally distributed between the two insurance systems. There must be “at least some compensation” financially, said Pantazis.

The SPD has long advocated citizens' insurance for everyone. If this cannot be enforced in the coalition, according to Pantazis, financial compensation would be “feasible and necessary”.

Social associations are also calling for renegotiations

Social associations are also calling for a change to the care reform. Renegotiations are “overdue,” explained the general manager of the Joint Association, Joachim Rock. “Shifting more and more costs onto those insured and those in need of care, cutting benefits and just buying time with loans remains piecemeal and does not do justice to the challenges.”

What is necessary is “full-care, solidarity-based long-term care insurance that fully covers the care-related costs and effectively relieves those in need of care and relatives from the increasing personal contributions.” Rock also calls for “a common insurance policy for everyone.” It would “broaden the financing base and reduce existing imbalances between the insurance systems,” emphasized the head of the association.

Linnemann rejects SPD demands

Linnemann, however, rejected the SPD's demand for financial equalization between private and social care insurance. There are “extreme constitutional doubts”.

He called on his cabinet colleague Lars Klingbeil (SPD), who is responsible for finance, to make concessions: "If you want structural changes in long-term care insurance, you have to put them on a solid financial basis," said Linnemann. "That's why we have to talk about non-insurance benefits and not about reaching into other people's coffers."

The Federal Ministry of Finance must now “fulfill its obligations” and pay back the more than five billion euros in Corona aid in question to the nursing care insurance. “These are non-insurance benefits.”