The personal contributions of those in need of care and the burden on those paying contributions are increasing unabated

24.08.2023 12:01

The federal government must quickly and significantly limit the increase in the personal contributions of those in need of care in inpatient care. This was demanded by the chairwoman of the AOK federal association, Dr. Carola Reimann, on Thursday (August 24th) in view of a current survey on care costs and personal contributions. However, the traffic light coalition currently shows “no corresponding will to reform,” criticized Reimann.

The chairwoman of the AOK Federal Association, Dr. Carola Reimann:

“Current evaluations by the AOK Scientific Institute (WIdO) show that the personal contributions of those in need of care continue to grow unabated as a result of price increases and wage increases in care. After they have already made a big leap upwards with an increase of 24 percent from 2021 to 2022, we will see a further increase of almost eight percent in the first half of 2023. Those in need of care who move into a home now have to pay an average of 2,614 euros for care-related personal contributions, accommodation, meals and investment costs. Last year it was 2,479 euros.

Politicians are urgently required to further limit the increase in own contributions

The already decided increase in the surcharges for nursing home residents based on length of residence, which is due to take effect in 2024, is therefore a right step. In view of the cost development, the traffic light is still a long way from the coalition agreement's goal of effectively reducing the own contributions and making them plannable. Politicians are urgently required to further limit the increase in personal contributions. Quick relief would be possible if the training costs were taken out of the personal contributions of those in need of care. Incidentally, this is also a promise from the coalition agreement that should finally be kept. We also demand that the investment costs of nursing homes no longer be borne by those in need of care. As part of public services, they should be borne entirely by the states. It would also make sense to reduce the increasing personal contributions of people in need of care by making care services more dynamic every year.

Increasing costs are borne solely by those paying contributions and those in need of care

Unfortunately, the current government coalition shows no corresponding desire for reform. There is no good news for those paying contributions either. There is no longer any talk of financing the pension contributions of caring relatives and the pandemic-related additional costs of nursing care insurance from tax revenues as promised in the coalition agreement. Instead of ensuring stable financing of the social long-term care insurance, the federal government is even resorting to the contribution money from the long-term care insurance funds to plug budget holes. With the recently decided cancellation of the federal subsidy for long-term care insurance up to and including 2027, the federal government's share in financing the costs of long-term care will be set to zero. Increasing costs are borne solely by those paying contributions and those in need of care. In order to conceal this, payments into the long-term care provision fund will also be stopped for four years in order to stabilize the contribution development in the long term. This no longer has anything to do with progressive care policy that creates trust in efficient care insurance.”