AOK supports calls for an increase in the federal subsidy for nursing care insurance
29.09.2023 14:02
In its statement on the draft budget financing law, the Federal Council today spoke out in favor of increasing the federal subsidy for social long-term care insurance. The deputy chairman of the AOK federal association, Jens Martin Hoyer, welcomes this clear positioning of the states:
“Financing the pension contributions of caring relatives is a task for society as a whole and not the responsibility of the social care insurance. We therefore expressly support the states' demand for an increase in federal subsidies to 4.5 billion euros per year to finance non-insurance benefits and to stabilize long-term care insurance. The Federal Council's decision is an important signal because we need long-term care insurance that is solidarity-based and reliably financed.
The structural deficit in long-term care insurance is largely caused by non-insurance benefits for which the state has to be responsible. Instead of tackling the problem, the traffic light government wants to shirk its financial responsibility and completely eliminate the federal subsidy for long-term care insurance. It is good that the states are countering this and are calling for an increase in federal subsidies instead.
In addition, the introduction of subsidies to reduce the personal contributions of those in need of care in inpatient care last year led to a relief of 1.2 billion euros on public budgets for care assistance. There will be further relief in the coming year with the Care Relief Act. This means that here too, the contributors have comprehensively supported the public budget without, conversely, reducing the burden on social long-term care insurance through tax subsidies.