SPD plans to cap personal contributions in care

The first part of the care reform should actually be discussed in the federal cabinet next Wednesday. At least that was Health Minister Carsten Linnemann's plan. Whether this will happen is extremely questionable. The SPD has announced that it will not support any reform that includes cuts in services for patients. Care should not become a financial risk for those in need of care and their families.

It is now becoming clearer what the Social Democrats' alternative plans could look like. Last Monday, the SPD executive committee decided that a cap on care costs must be part of a care reform. Until now, the exact design of this lid was unclear. The ARD capital studio now has an exclusive letter from Saarland Health Minister Magnus Jung to his country colleagues. In it, Jung describes what a care cover could look like.

The average personal contribution is more than 3,000 euros

Nursing home costs are generally made up of various items. These include costs for accommodation and meals, which must be borne by those in need of care themselves, investment and maintenance costs, costs for geriatric care training and costs for care and support, which are financed proportionately. According to the Association of Substitute Insurance Funds (VdEK), the national average share that those in need of care have to pay out of their own pocket is currently 3,364 euros.

The largest part is accounted for by the so-called institution-wide own contribution (EEE). According to VdEK, the average is currently 1,775 euros in the first year of residence. A subsidy from nursing care insurance is already included, which covers 15 percent of the costs in the first year. This proportion continues to increase as the length of stay increases, so that the personal contribution becomes smaller over time.

Own contribution costs should decrease

The Saarland proposal, which the SPD will adopt according to information from the ARD capital studio, is based on this uniform institution's own contribution. In a first stage, the party wants to limit this share to a maximum of 1,500 euros. This would reduce personal costs in the first year of stay by around 275 euros per month. In later years, the cap would hardly bring any savings because the share that nursing care insurance contributes increases.

In a second step, the limit should initially be set at 1,500 euros and only then will the subsidy come. This would mean that the personal contribution costs would fall well below 1,500 euros. The concept puts the cost of the first step at around one billion euros; the second step would therefore cost around three billion euros.

The paper also makes suggestions for counter-financing: for example, an increase in the contribution assessment limit, greater participation by private nursing care insurance and a higher financing contribution from the federal budget.