In the ongoing debate concerning care reform, the Green Party has warned against increased costs for both contributors and municipalities, urgently demanding a fair distribution of burdens.
Britta Haßelmann, the leader of the Greens’ faction, told the “Rheinische Post” that a successful care reform must not involve cutting services for those who require care or for those who provide it. She emphasized that the solution to the financing difficulties cannot be passing the bill onto care recipients and their families or burdening contributors and local authorities.
Instead, Haßelmann called for a sustainable reform that fairly distributes the load and structurally stabilizes the care insurance system. Furthermore, she stressed that rather than continuously increasing personal contributions for those needing long-term care in institutions, the growth of these private charges must be limited.
She also supported Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) in his decision to reverse planned cuts to the pension security of caregiving relatives, stating that this was necessary. “It would be absolutely wrong to penalize those relatives who support our care system through their caregiving work,” Haßelmann argued.
The Green politician further insisted that “central injustices” within the care system must be addressed. She pointed out that while both legally mandated and privately insured individuals are entitled to the same care services, private insurers frequently pay significantly lower contributions. In tackling this problem, she called for establishing a fair balance. Haßelmann concluded with a note of political disappointment, lamenting that she had hoped the coalition would eventually find a common direction, but instead, the debate continued with endless conflict.
