Saxony’s Minister-President, Michael Kretschmer (CDU), has called for the federal government to take on a greater share of the costs associated with elderly care for local communities. Speaking to the magazine “Focus”, the CDU politician stressed the importance of the initial phase of the care reform providing relief to the “local family unit.” Kretschmer wants the federal government to begin covering the costs of what is known as “assistance for caregiving” (“Hilfe zur Pflege”). This specific cost is projected to amount to six billion euros for the municipalities in 2025.
Kretschmer argued that because this is a federal performance law, the federal government must shoulder the financial burden. He referenced the principle of causality, which dictates that the federal government generally covers a significant portion of additional costs created by new federal laws that impact states and local authorities. However, he pointed out that this existing rule does not cover the already massive, existing costs of assistance for caregiving. Therefore, Kretschmer insists that a specific federal contribution must be explicitly enshrined within the framework of the care reform. According to him, this financial equalization should be an integral part of the legislative process.
Furthermore, the Minister-President wishes for the principle of “assistance toward self-reliance” (“Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe”) to become the guiding principle of the care reform. He added that this concept implies that, in certain situations, an individual’s personal assets can be drawn upon to finance care. He concluded by stating that society needs to have a discussion about where the responsibility lies-whether it rests with the individual or with the collective community.
