Klaus Holetschek, the State Parliamentary Group Leader for the CSU, has cautioned the federal government against implementing the upcoming care reform in a way that unjustly burdens those who require care. Writing a guest contribution for the magazine “Focus” he argued that any reform that undermines the fundamental principles of the social state is not modernization, but rather a descent into “social coldness”. According to Holetschek, care issues should not become a matter that determines the fate of entire generations.
In particular, he strongly objected to the proposal to gradually stretch out the duration of graduated subsidies for nursing home residents. Holetschek wrote that while spacing out the higher levels of subsidies-for instance, having them kick in after 18, 36, or 54 months, as currently discussed-might save billions for the care insurance, it would do so at a massive cost to the individuals affected.
Furthermore, Holetschek warns that, according to various studies, extending these subsidies could result in up to 50 percent of people in need of care becoming dependent on state care assistance. He characterized this scenario as a “classic shift-burden” arguing that the care insurance would save money, but local communities and districts would shoulder the increased burden. He concluded emphatically that care assistance must not continue to become the accepted norm, stating that this issue, too, touches upon fundamental human dignity.
