2024-10-08 20:49:59
The financial situation of statutory nursing care insurance is more dramatic than previously publicly known. But why? And who is to blame for the misery anyway?
Contributions to health and nursing care insurance could rise more sharply in the coming year than previously feared. The reason is, among other things, the poor financial situation of nursing care insurance. Nothing has been decided yet. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced a “major reform” in Berlin on Monday, which should be presented in a few weeks. It’s about financing, such as contributions and personal contributions to inpatient care.
But why is the nursing care insurance situation in Germany so precarious? Who is to blame for this? And how can the problems be resolved? t-online answers the most important questions.
Because the number of people requiring care has been increasing for years. Economist Bernd Raffelhüschen from the Albert Ludwig University in Freiburg explains to t-online that the reasons for this are, on the one hand, demographic. It was originally thought that the number of care cases compared to the introduction in 1995 would double or triple today. “However, there was a miscalculation back then,” says Raffelhüschen.
“The inventors of the whole thing did not expect that we would include everyone who is even remotely demented or needs help with small everyday activities under the umbrella of long-term care insurance,” says the economist.
However, it is not only the demographic change in Germany that is to blame for the situation, but also politics. As a result of the multiple reformulations of the care level, the number of people requiring care has increased again, explains Raffelhüschen. “That means the demographic doubling process was doubled again through political gifts.” Ultimately, the value has quadrupled since 1995.
For Raffelhüschen, those who will suffer are very clear: “The young people will be the ones who end up being left behind.” What he thinks is bad is that the collapse of long-term care insurance was predicted when it was introduced in 1995. “We as scientists warned from the beginning against starting this pyramid scheme at the expense of future generations,” says Raffelhüschen. Ultimately, the system is spreading to more and more people, but there are fewer current contributors.
The generation of people around 30 today has not yet fully understood that the social security systems in Germany are on the verge of collapse, the economist continues. “The baby boomers are numerically superior. The second problem: They are quite long-lived. If we had the mortality tables of the past, i.e. the generation of the grandparents of today’s 30-year-olds, we would look at the problem a little more calmly.” Because in this scenario fewer people would need care for a long time. Accordingly, the burden on nursing care insurance would be less.
Urgent reforms are now needed to save the German social system, said Raffelhüschen: “This is all a predicted catastrophe. And the worst thing about it is: It doesn’t look like anyone has the courage to say that to my generation,” the 67-year-old continues.
The nursing care insurance cannot run out of money, says Raffelhüschen. “What happens is that benefits are reduced or contributions are increased.” However, in current politics there is the so-called leadership primacy. “You notice it not only in the discussion about long-term care insurance, but also in the discussion about pensions,” explains the scientist. “Neither Labor Minister Hubertus Heil nor Karl Lauterbach want to restrict services out of fear of losing their votes, but rather just increase their prices.”
This results in a complete reversal of the polluter pays principle in the discussion about pensions and long-term care insurance: “We are sticking to the benefits and saying that the young contributors are now responsible for the older ones,” the economist continues.
Instead of services, the price level of nursing care insurance would have to be maintained, explains Raffelhüschen. “If we keep the contributions constant, but reduce the benefits according to the demographic process, then we have a generation-appropriate solution.”
The economist explains that the baby boomer generation is a danger to the German social systems. “Most people my age think they have a problem. That’s complete nonsense – because they are the problem. And we, who are the problem, put the burden on the shoulders of those who are our children and really can’t do anything about it. “