Katrin Staffler: New impulses are required for nursing care insurance!

Katrin Staffler: New impulses are required for nursing care insurance!

The federal government's new care representative, Katrin Staffler, has set herself the goal of tackling the challenges of long-term care insurance in Germany. In her role, she calls for a “clear catalog of actions” to improve the financial situation of long-term care insurance. She wants to represent the interests of those in need of care and their relatives and is committed to ensuring that carers are given more freedom of action. In this context, the urgency of prevention and pragmatic solutions is emphasized.

The number of older people who are dependent on care is currently growing. At the same time, care costs are rising and the shortage of skilled workers is becoming increasingly clear. In order to reduce dependence on those in need of care and their relatives, it is necessary to take into account the tasks of society as a whole when financing care. The deficit in long-term care insurance amounted to 1.54 billion euros in 2024 and could rise to 3.5 billion euros next year.

Strategies for reforming nursing care insurance

Staffler, a member of the federal-state working group, plans to work with other experts to present key points for a comprehensive care reform, which will be announced at the end of the year. She points out the need to make long-term care insurance sustainable and generation-friendly. In particular, the high personnel costs, investment costs and medical care costs not covered by health insurance companies lead to rising care rates in inpatient care.

The Federal Ministry of Health has already initiated a number of measures to improve practice. From January 1, 2024, the care allowance will be increased by 5 percent, as will the outpatient benefit amounts. In the future, care support allowance can be claimed for up to ten working days per calendar year. These improved regulations are intended to reduce the financial burden on those in need of care and their relatives.

Long-term perspectives for nursing

In addition, from July 1, 2025, a new common annual amount for preventive and short-term care of up to 3,539 euros will be available. This reform also includes the abolition of the pre-care period before receiving respite care and simplified access to preventive and rehabilitation services for relatives. The surcharges for those in need of care in fully inpatient facilities will also be increased on January 1, 2024.

A simplification of the regulations for determining the need for care and accelerated staffing procedures in inpatient care are also planned for the future. In order to counteract the shortage of skilled workers, the framework conditions for recruiting nursing staff from abroad are being improved and additional staff positions in springer pools are being financed.

The contribution rates for social long-term care insurance were increased by 0.35 percentage points on July 1, 2023 and are now differentiated according to the number of children. These adjustments are part of a comprehensive reform that aims to make long-term care insurance future-proof and meet the challenges posed by the increasing number of people in need of care. Staffler emphasizes the importance of interprofessionalism, digitalization and innovative forms of living as part of these reform efforts.

For a detailed overview of the decisions and reforms in long-term care insurance, you can use the information from ZDF today as well as the Federal Ministry of Health consult.