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Symbolic care: The own share for pure care should decrease
Photo: Marijan Murat / dpa
According to the statutory health insurance companies, the contributions to long-term care insurance could soon have to rise.
In view of their billions in deficit last year, they expect an increase in the first half of 2022 - and call on the traffic light coalition to intervene.
"If nothing happens, a premium increase of 0.3 percentage points will be necessary in the first half of the year in order to secure the financing," said the deputy chairman of the board of directors of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, Gernot Kiefer, of the "Rheinische Post".
The total expenditure for 2021 was almost two billion euros higher than the income.
Own contribution at 2125 euros - per month
"This means that long-term care insurance starts the new year on edge, because the deficit could only just barely be offset by the reserves," said Kiefer. The long-term care insurance has now reached its statutory minimum reserve and there is an urgent need for political action to stabilize the financial situation. This must definitely be decided in the first half of 2022, said Kiefer. The traffic light coalition must therefore intervene at short notice.
Kiefer also pointed out that there were plans at the same time that would result in significant additional costs, such as better pay for nurses. »This is well founded in the matter, but there are up to around five billion euros in additional expenditure a year - depending on the speed at which you do it. According to the current structure, this increases the personal contribution of those in need of care. «According to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, these are already an average of 2125 euros per month.
In view of the poor financial situation, numerous statutory health insurance companies have already increased their contributions at the turn of the year.
A few days ago, an evaluation by Stiftung Warentest named 14 health insurances that are increasing their contributions at the turn of the year, while "Welt am Sonntag" reported, citing a list of contributions published by the umbrella association on the Internet, of 19 of the total of 97 statutory health insurances that increased their additional contribution - including nine of the eleven general local health insurance funds (AOK).
Relief for nursing home residents
In order not to overwhelm people in need of care and their relatives in the worst-case scenario, new reliefs have been in place since January 1 to protect against increasing additional payments for care in the home.
In addition to the payments from the nursing care fund, home residents now receive a new surcharge, which increases with the length of the nursing care.
The personal share for pure care should decrease in the first year in the home by five percent, in the second by 25 percent, in the third by 45 percent and from the fourth year by 70 percent.
The background to this is that long-term care insurance only bears part of the costs.
For home residents, there are also payments for accommodation, meals and investments in the facilities.
In the meantime, the costs of care for the elderly are likely to continue to rise rapidly, because the reform that the old federal government has initiated is aimed at better pay for urgently needed care workers. From September 1, 2022, there will only be supply contracts with institutions that pay according to collective bargaining agreements or a similar amount. In geriatric care with around 1.2 million employees, just under half of the collective wage has been paid so far.
To finance this, the care contribution for people aged 23 and over without children will increase from 3.3 to 3.4 percent on January 1st.
In addition, from 2022 the federal government will for the first time provide a permanent subsidy of one billion euros annually for long-term care insurance.
In outpatient care, the benefits in kind will be increased by five percent to take account of rising payments, as the Ministry of Health explained.
apr / dpa
