The German federal government’s response to a parliamentary question from the left coalition shows that the payouts from the long‑term care insurance have not kept pace with inflation. According to the “Rheinische Post” Thursday edition, the in‑kind benefit for care level 2 in 2025 was 796 €, but when adjusted for purchasing power that amount equates to only 626 €. That represents a fall of more than 21 % compared with 2017.
A similar pattern appears for other benefit categories. In 2025, the surcharge for services in outpatient‑care living groups was 224 € for all care levels. After deducting inflation, the real value was just 173 €, a decrease of roughly 23 % from the 2017 baseline.
Evelyn Schötz, the Left party’s spokesperson for long‑term care in the Bundestag, described this as a “slow‑moving financial burden” affecting millions. She points out that since the introduction of the care grades in 2017, core benefits have “massively lost purchasing power”. What appears on paper as a modest nominal increase is, in reality, a real cut for those who rely on this support.
