The Federal Association of German Employers’ Associations (BDA) is demanding cuts to the statutory long-term care insurance and strictly opposes any increases in contributions. According to BDA Managing Director Steffen Kampeter, the care insurance system is reaching its capacity, stating to the “Rheinische Post”, “Its expenses are outpacing it-that is the pressing problem we face now.”
Kampeter argues that there must be an honest accounting and clear priorities. He emphasized that the care insurance must primarily secure those individuals who require permanent and intensive care. To achieve this, he proposed that benefits should generally only begin after a “tiered waiting period.” Furthermore, the supplementary allowance for nursing homes should be concentrated more heavily on people who receive institutional care for longer than 24 months.
Simultaneously, he stressed that the insurance fund must stop financing tasks that are fundamentally the responsibility of the federal and state governments. The federal government, he insisted, should take over the costs for pension contributions for caregiving relatives and exceptional pandemic-related expenses through tax revenue. As the BDA Managing Director outlined, the individual states must cover the costs of investments and training within care facilities.
Kampeter firmly rejected raising contributions. “The answer to the financial problems cannot, under any circumstances, be to make labor more expensive,” he stated. He warned that adding supplementary contributions to minimum wage jobs or increasing the contribution assessment ceiling would only drive social contributions higher. Instead, he advocated for lower spending and stable contributions.
