The number of people in need of care is increasing, but accommodation in a home is becoming increasingly expensive. The social association VdK is now calling for fundamental reform. Care is increasingly becoming a private risk.
The social association VdK has criticized the high personal contributions when staying in a nursing home. “A monthly personal contribution of around 2,500 euros in the first year caricatures the term insurance,” explained VdK President Verena Bentele. “A society that values care as an important task cannot accept this.”
Accommodation in nursing homes is becoming increasingly expensive, criticized Bentele. Ever higher personnel and material costs are the cause of these price increases, which can no longer be covered by government subsidies. Due to the cost explosion, care is increasingly becoming a private risk – “and politicians are watching and not taking adequate measures to counteract it,” said Bentele.
Sustainable Financing concept required
The VdK president emphasized that ever-increasing personal contributions would inevitably fall back on the state: if the people affected applied for social assistance and thus a tax-financed benefit. Instead, she called for a sustainable financing concept for long-term care insurance.
This must develop into full insurance for all care-related costs. “The long-term care insurance must cover and refinance all costs that arise from care.”
Experts expect rising care contributions
In view of the continued increase in statutory nursing care insurance expenses, health experts are predicting further significant premium increases in the next few years. As “Bild” reported on Saturday, Düsseldorf economist Jürgen Wasem expects rates to rise by significantly more than a quarter by 2040.
“The cost avalanche in care is coming. It is clear that the contribution rate will continue to rise significantly in the next 15 years: to more than five percent,” said Wasem. The reason is that care costs have doubled to more than 100 billion euros per year.
According to the newspaper, Munich health economist Günter Neubauer even expects the contribution rate to increase to up to 6.25 percent by 2040. The reason is the sharp increase in the number of people in need of care.
FDP wants to strengthen private provision for care
Meanwhile, the FDP opposed placing a burden on employers for new forms of private provision. The FDP cannot achieve equal financing of private care contributions by employers and employees, said the Bundestag parliamentary group’s care policy spokesman, Jens Teutrine, in the “Bild” newspaper.
“It is clear that, especially in the current situation, there should be no additional burden on the economy and one-sided burdens on younger generations.” The FDP wants to strengthen private provision for care, but “for example through better deductibility of care contributions and equal tax treatment of company care with company pensions,” said Teutrine.
In the coalition agreement, the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed to examine equal financing of private care contributions in order to prevent financial overburden in old age. A commission of experts is currently working on a concept. Teutrine said we are looking forward to the experts’ results and the Health Minister’s suggestions.