The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has heavily criticized a proposal by CDU faction deputy Albert Stegemann, which suggests utilizing personal home ownership and private savings to cover the costs of elderly care. Christos Pantazis, the SPD parliamentary spokesman for health policy, told the Funke media group that anyone suggesting that private reserves or owned homes should be relied upon more heavily for funding care must honestly explain the concrete implications of such a measure.
Pantazis argued that for many families, their home is not a luxurious safety net but rather the result of decades of hard work and a core component of their retirement planning. He stressed that people are rightfully expecting reliability and security if they become reliant on care in their old age-not the fear of losing their home or the fruits of their labor.
This criticism was also echoed by the Homeowners Association based in Bonn. Verena Örenbas, the association’s federal managing director, asserted that home ownership provides security “for oneself and for the next generation”. She pointed out that Union faction deputy Albert Stegemann seems to overlook the fact that homes are already accessed in care situations, even though legal protections exist in specific circumstances, such as when the home is still occupied by the residents or their spouse.
Verena Bentele, president of the VdK social association, described the calls for “ever more private provision” as “increasingly absurd and truly cynical”. She noted that many people already struggle to afford care today, stating that “care makes one poor”. Furthermore, Bentele criticized Stegemann’s proposals for lacking clarity regarding whether they apply to benefits from the care insurance or to assistance for care when personal funds are insufficient for institutional accommodation, concluding that “his proposal is actually rejectable in both cases”.
