Former Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has advocated for a greater involvement of high-earning residents and private patients to close loopholes in the long-term care insurance system. Speaking to the “Rheinische Post” on Wednesday, Lauterbach presented three primary ways to stabilize the care funds.
He suggested that the personal contribution paid by nursing home residents should be tied to their income. Specifically, individuals with higher incomes should receive smaller subsidies from the care insurance funds compared to those with lower incomes, arguing that subsidies should not be distributed universally. Furthermore, Lauterbach called for private insurance holders to contribute more to the solidarity system by funding social long-term care insurance.
Lauterbach also stated that the necessity of current care grades should be reviewed. He questioned whether the existing grades are still accurately calibrated, noting that the number of people requiring care is growing faster than what is medically justifiable.
