The CDU Economic Council has provided a partly positive assessment of the draft Nursing Care Regulation Act (PNOG), although it concurrently cautioned against further increasing the burden on employees and businesses. According to General Secretary Wolfgang Steiger, the legislation falls “short of expectations for a comprehensive structural reform of care” but it does contain “several sensible approaches”.
The council positively noted the introduction of a “Nursing Cockpit” and the continued expansion of digitalization. Furthermore, stricter prerequisites for classifying patients into care grades were appreciated. Steiger stated that greater transparency, higher efficiency, and more targeted benefit provision could help strengthen the financial stability of the care insurance system. Additionally, the planned measures to limit increases in expenditures when assuming self-contributions, as well as the temporary reduction of the nursing allowance by 50 percent in the initial months, were viewed by the Economic Council as correct steps forward.
However, Steiger voiced strong criticism regarding the proposed increase in the contribution assessment ceiling within the social nursing care insurance. He argued that this raise “places the same strain on employees and employers without providing a noticeable contribution to improving care provision” which would consequently “weaken the German economic competitiveness”.
The council also opposed the proposal for stronger local municipal control over care planning. Steiger cautioned that increasing state direction over care structures carries the risk of fostering a “planned economy” in healthcare, thereby limiting the ability of businesses to innovate and make choices. He stressed that care services should be oriented toward actual demand rather than complying with municipal directives.
The association also expressed concern that the plan to fund care advice services and support centers primarily through social insurance contributions. The council holds that care consulting is a “societal task” and should therefore be chiefly financed by tax revenue. Instead of placing additional strain on contributors, he urged federal and state governments to provide targeted support to local communities.
Looking ahead, the Economic Council sees significant need for further reforms, including subjecting the basic nursing allowance to a fundamental review. In the long term, the group advocates for discussing a complete reallocation of funds to prioritize prevention, rehabilitation, and professional care services. Furthermore, when care insurance covers personal contributions, asset holdings must be taken into account. Finally, Steiger called for reducing the frequency of collecting regional standard fees to every two years to better stabilize costs across the nursing sector.
