Despite recent coalition disagreements regarding the care reform, the federal cabinet has approved the draft legislation, though it has deferred several central, contentious issues to a dedicated commission. Federal Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) announced in Berlin on Wednesday that further efforts are needed to secure the future of care, noting that a structural commission will begin in October to work on fundamental reforms.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) had previously expressed skepticism about approving the reform, with SPD parliamentary group leader Mathias Miersch arguing against accepting what he called a “pure cut package.” The SPD had instead advocated for immediate structural reform and measures such as capping personal contributions. Linnemann, however, preferred to enact savings initially and address deeper changes at a later stage.
The approved draft currently includes several provisions, such as raising the contribution assessment limit by €300 per month, mirroring the rules for statutory health insurance. Furthermore, a surcharge of 0.52 percent will be levied starting in 2028 for the joint insurance of spouses or life partners. Additionally, the surcharge for members without children will increase by 0.3 percentage points to 0.9 percent starting in 2027.
The care insurance will continue to cover the pension contributions for attending caregivers and relatives in full. Beginning in 2029, a regular annual indexation of the care insurance contributions will be implemented based on the core inflation rate.
Another major focus of the legislation is prevention. From now on, insured individuals aged 60 and older will be entitled to an early screening examination (“Check-up 60+”) to detect health risks early on. The care assessment process will also evaluate whether rehabilitation can reduce the required level of care. Families caring for relatives at home will receive support through preventive care guidance.
The legislation also introduces modernization and organizational tools, such as a digital “care cockpit” to streamline care management by consolidating all relevant information in one place. Central benefits for home care are being increased, and a social space budget is being introduced to enhance daily support. A bridging budget will be established for acute care situations, and the assessment system will be adapted to allocate care grades more accurately.
