Health policy | Care: Justice debate just captured

The Minister of Health was able to announce the cabinet decision on nursing care reform on Wednesday. Photo: Imago/dts Against the background of a justice debate that the federal government does not want at all, the coalition members have barely agreed on the first part of the care reform. Various measures are expected to bring a total of eleven billion euros in savings next year. Some people are now explicitly supposed to pay more, namely those without children and also some higher earners, because the contribution assessment limit is rising. A number of other measures are intended to make care more tailored, but this also means that people in the lower levels of care are no longer receiving benefits or are receiving less. More rehabilitation services should prevent the need for care, and acute short-term care should be strengthened. At least it remains the case that pension insurance contributions for caring relatives will continue to be paid - but, and this is the rub, not from tax revenues, but from the long-term care insurance itself.

A commission of experts will examine further steps by the end of January - including what particularly fueled last week's discussion: a possible balance between private and social long-term care insurance. Grotesquely, Chancellor Merz (CDU) himself opened the door for this debate. Because the issue leads over steep legal cliffs and can even become another use case for expropriation, the federal government will do everything it can to sweep it under the table again. Perhaps this pressure will lead to the pandemic costs being reimbursed to the nursing care insurance after all. Go ahead. We are excited to see what the Federal Cabinet will bring into the nest as planned for Easter.

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