A majority of Germans favor the implementation of a “care cap” (Pflegedeckel). According to a survey by Forsa, reported by the magazine “Stern,” 58% believe in the SPD’s proposal to cap the out-of-pocket costs for care recipients at €1,500 per month. Conversely, 36% oppose such a cap, and 6% stated they did not know.
This majority preference for limiting co-payments in care is present across all demographic and voter groups. Support is particularly strong in East Germany, where 71% favor the care cap. Even among supporters of the Left Party, a clear majority of 82% backs the proposal.
The costs for a place in a nursing home are composed of various elements, which must be partially paid by the individual, including accommodation, meals, care and supervision, as well as investment and maintenance costs and training expenditures. On average, the co-payment borne by care recipients exceeds €3,300 per month. The largest component is the institutional co-payment, which the Association of Replacement Funds estimates to be €1,775 per month in the first year. The long-term care insurance covers 15% of these costs, and the individual co-payment decreases as a person stays in the facility for a longer period. The SPD’s proposal is to place a maximum limit on this co-payment.
However, Federal Minister of Health, Carsten Linnemann (CDU), rejects such a cost ceiling instead advocating for socially justifiable subsidies. A commission is tasked with developing proposals for a second, broader structural reform of care by next summer.
The specific question posed in the survey was: “Do you find the proposal sensible to limit the co-payment of care costs to €1,500 per month and compensate for the additional costs through higher long-term care contributions?” The polling institute Forsa surveyed 1,001 Germans for the study commissioned by “Stern” and RTL on October 1 and 2, 2026.
