The Green Party representatives in the Bundestag have urged the coalition to reach a quick agreement regarding the long-term care debate, simultaneously demanding that Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) settle the state’s outstanding Corona debts owed to the care insurance funds.
Simone Fischer, the Greens’ spokesperson on care policy, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that the ongoing public disagreements between the Union and the SPD put the care funds at risk of insolvency. According to the Greens, despite a federal loan amounting to €3.2 billion, the care funds currently lack around €500 million needed by the end of the year, and a potentially larger funding shortfall looms in the coming year.
Fischer criticized the situation, calling these disputes “irresponsible,” emphasizing that the elderly needing care and their families require certainty and reliability. She stated that, as an immediate measure, the Federal Finance Minister must repay the €5.2 billion in Corona costs that the government owes the care insurance sector.
While the Greens have generally supported the idea of balancing finances between public and private care insurance, and favouring a cap on care costs, Fischer also noted that the long-term solution requires establishing a comprehensive “Care Citizen Insurance” model.
