In the ongoing debate regarding care reform, CSU faction leader Klaus Holetschek has demanded that healthcare funds initially be cleared of existing “mischarges” using public tax money. Speaking to the news portal T-Online, Holetschek insisted that if the SPD proposes new demands, their Finance Minister must take responsibility and replace the €5.5 billion in additional costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic with allocated tax funds. He added that care insurance funds currently manage nearly €11 billion in payments that are not related to insurance contributions.
Holetschek asserted that before any discussion can take place about balancing statutory and private care insurance or enacting further reforms, the current system of mischarges must first be resolved. In his view, only then can true stability and a fair foundation for the debate be achieved. He pointed out that the core of the care issue is fundamentally about humanity, reliability, and fairness across generations.
Meanwhile, Dennis Radtke, head of the CDA Social Wing, is calling for fundamental changes within the reform debate. Telling T-Online that the care reform “must not become another austerity measure,” Radtke argued that structured changes and fairer financing are necessary. He specifically demanded that non-insurance-related benefits finally be covered by tax funds rather than continuously burdening contribution payers. At the same time, he stressed the need to better secure family caregivers and reliably expand day and short-term care services. Radtke concluded that those advocating for care reform must look beyond mere cost savings; the decisive goal is to make the entire system perpetually sustainable.
