Contributions to long-term care insurance: Federal Constitutional Court calls for relief for large families

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Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe

Photo: Uli Deck / dpa

The contribution rates for the statutory long-term care insurance must be changed after a decision by the Federal Constitutional Court.

Parents should be relieved according to the specific number of their children, the court in Karlsruhe decided on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the fact that statutory pension and health insurance does not differentiate between parents and those without children is legal.

Background to the proceedings: In the case of long-term care insurance, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in 2001 that it was not compatible with the Basic Law for parents to pay the same high contribution rate as childless people - because they made a "generative contribution to the functionality of a pay-as-you-go social security system".

However, no distinction is made between pension and health insurance.

The Federal Social Court had also ruled that this practice was legal.

Several parents are now defending themselves against these judgments with constitutional complaints, supported by the Family Association of Catholics in the Archdiocese of Freiburg.

From their point of view, a distinction should also be made between people with and without children for other types of insurance.

In addition, larger families should be relieved more than smaller ones.

Relief in other ways, for example in tax law, cannot simply be offset.

beb/dpa