Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) stated that in the future, the costs associated with health benefits for recipients of the Citizens’ Income (Bürgergeld) should be covered by tax revenues rather than the contributions of health insurance members. Speaking to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” (FAS), Warken argued, “If the state promises a service, it must pay for it in the interest of the community and cannot shift a significant portion of the burden onto the insured community. This is a matter of fairness. People are very conscious of whether things are fair in the country”.
She noted that the Citizens’ Income is a highly debated issue, and pointed out that the extreme right has used the topic. The CDU politician stated that the government has a role to play in counteracting the “poisoning” of public debate.
This proposal regarding cost absorption was among the recommendations presented by an expert committee last Monday as part of a broader health care reform. Warken added that this shift would place an additional annual strain of twelve billion euros on the already strained budget of Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD).
Warken views the health care reform as critically important for the current national mood. She warned, “If people feel that they are being asked to pay more than others, and politics fails to bring about change, then trust in democracy will continue to decline. Preventing that is the central task for this legislative period”.
