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Corona test in a retirement home in Tübingen
Photo: Sebastian Gollnow / dpa
According to calculations by the health insurance companies, the plans of Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) for the new regulation of the corona tests are causing ever greater deficits in nursing care insurance.
This is reported by the newspapers belonging to the "Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland" (RND) group.
They refer to a statement by the umbrella association of health insurance companies on the new test regulation.
Without additional tax subsidies, the assumption of costs for corona tests in care facilities, which was extended until the end of November, would lead to additional expenditure in care insurance of around one billion euros, according to the report.
This would increase the deficit forecast for 2022 from 2.3 to 3.3 billion euros.
Additional expenses would have to be covered by higher federal loans in order to remain solvent.
"As a result, the members will have to bear the repayment by increasing the contribution rate," the health insurance companies warn.
High deficits also in other social security areas
The new test regulation stipulates, among other things, that a personal contribution of three euros will be due for corona citizen tests from Thursday.
However, tests to protect risk groups, including people in need of care, are excluded.
The regulation is intended to reduce billions in costs for the federal government, which has so far completely financed the tests.
The federal states can take over the three-euro citizen share if they decide to do so.
The problem: In addition to long-term care insurance, other branches of German social security are also under pressure.
For example, the statutory health insurance system (GKV) has been showing deficits in the billions for a long time, which would have to be compensated for either by even higher federal subsidies or by increasing health insurance contributions.
Unemployment insurance also closed the corona year 2021 - mainly due to the short-time work measures - with a minus of 22 billion euros.
beb/dpa
