The German Nurses’ Council has criticized the care reform plans proposed by Health Minister Nina Warken, arguing that they constitute a purely cost-cutting program that harms both care recipients and their relatives.
Christine Vogler, the president of the German Nurses’ Council, told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that the emphasis of the reforms is not ensuring consistent care services, but rather achieving short-term consolidation of the care insurance system. She warned that the planned savings would primarily be passed down to those needing care, their families, and professional caregivers.
Vogler detailed the consequences of the changes, stating, “Benefits will be restricted, subsidies will come into effect later, access points will be newly regulated, and claims will be reduced”. However, she stressed that the need for care will not disappear; it will merely be transferred out of the care insurance system and shifted towards families, municipalities, and other sectors of healthcare.
The Nurses’ Council specifically condemned the planned reduction in pension insurance contributions for family caregivers. Vogler pointed out that the indispensable role played by millions of family caregivers has long been discussed politically. She argued that it is unjust to undermine the financial position of those who already provide the majority of care in Germany. She asserted that if the plan is to strengthen home care, it must not financially weaken its foundational pillars.
The Green Party in the Bundestag echoed similar concerns. Misbah Khan, deputy faction head for the Greens, stated to the newspapers that instead of structurally reforming the financing of care insurance, the burden would once again be pushed onto contributors and care recipients. She labeled the current unequal treatment between privately and publicly insured individuals as the “central injustice” of the care insurance system.
Khan added that a fundamental problem of the current government is that any reform carries the burden of rising financial strain on contributors while simultaneously cutting benefits or increasing out-of-pocket expenses. She noted that the public keenly feels this injustice, asserting that a reform based on a “pay more, get less” principle is the wrong approach. Instead, she demanded a solidarity-based financing system that includes everyone and establishes the care insurance on a sustainable and fair basis. Khan concluded that when people are continually paying higher contributions for fewer benefits, they lose faith in the ability of the social state to function effectively.
