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Cost of German care insurance could rise in July

To combat the steep cost of care, the German Health Ministry is planning to increase monthly contributions to the care insurance fund, according to media reports.

Published: 24 February 2023 12:26 CET

Old-age care in Germany

An elderly patient receives a visit from a relative in a care home. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/CARE24 GmbH | Care24 GmbH

According to a draft law seen by DPA and reported on by other media outlets on Friday, contributions could increase by 0.35 percent as of July 1st, 2023.

On the other hand, those receiving care would get more financial aid from the state.

Specifically, the draft outlines plans to increase the care allowance for people in nursing homes from January 1st, 2024 and also hike relief for people receiving care at home.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had previously indicated that higher long-term care contributions would be necessary to fill a gaping deficit in the care system.

In 2022 – despite minor increases in care contributions at the start of the year – there was a €2.25 billion black hole in the statutory insurance funds.

On Friday, statutory health and care insurance funds and social pressure groups wrote to the government to demand more tax revenues for care.

In a letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), the insurance funds claimed they would require €4.5 billion from the state simply to stabilise their finances in 2023.

“We therefore urge you to quickly stabilise the financing of the social long-term care insurance through federal funds, so that the necessary securing of liquidity is not exclusively at the expense of those paying contributions,” they wrote.

READ ALSO: What foreigners need to know about old-age care in Germany

The costs of care have been rising rapidly in Germany due to the country’s aging population, higher wages for care professionals, and the effects of the Covid pandemic.

Currently, the contribution to the statutory long-term care insurance is 3.05 percent of gross wages for those with children and 3.4 percent for those without.

With the increase, this would go up to 3.4 percent for people with children and 3.75 for those without – though employees only pay half of the total contribution.

READ ALSO: Will health insurance costs go up again in Germany?

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How Germany plans to revamp emergency healthcare services

The federal cabinet adopted a draft law presented by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on Wednesday, which is designed to change the way emergency services are accessed by patients.

The plan – which is intended to reduce overloads for doctors, emergency rooms and rescue services – involves the creation of localised control centres and significantly beefing up telephone response services.

Here’s how emergency services are due to be changed.

How will patients’ experience change?

In future, emergency call services are to be expanded with so-called “acute control centres”.

At these centres doctors would advise patients by telephone or video when possible, and refer more urgent cases to emergency facilities.

Medical emergency calls to 112 or 116117 would be patched through to these acute control centres when applicable. This is intended to reduce the number of emergency responses that are dispatched for minor injuries.

According to the plan, patients referred to a call centre should be able to expect an initial assessment after three minutes in 75 percent of cases.

“Those who can be treated on an outpatient basis with telephone or video-based counselling do not have to go to hospital,” Lauterbach told Tagesschau.

READ ALSO: How could Germany solve its worsening GP crisis?

For cases that turn out not to be urgent, patients may be able to be issued an electronic prescription or sick note.

Additionally, patients with urgent issues should be directed to more specific treatment centres, rather than going straight to the hospital.

The draft law calls for “integrated emergency centres”, many of which may be added to existing medical clinics or hospitals.

These localised centres would work to offer an initial diagnosis and refer patients, depending on urgency, to the emergency room or other medical facilities services.

This is intended to cut down on wait times in emergency rooms by more quickly redirecting patients to the specific care services they need.

The minister stressed: “In the future, acute care should take place where it makes medical sense.”

Emergency services are due for a reform

Emergency rooms and services are often running at high-capacity in many parts of Germany.

According to the Ministry of Health, one in three people in an emergency room would be better treated in a specified practice.

But often patients don’t know what to do when urgent medical issues arise at night or on weekends, so many end up in emergency rooms and hospitals.

However, making a plan for a comprehensive reform and pulling it off are two different things.

As with so many bold plans in Germany, a serious challenge will be the country’s growing shortage of workers – in this case healthcare workers.

The General Practitioners’ Association has warned that a lack of the necessary staff, and parallel structures between services could lead to the reform’s failure.

The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) praised the initiative, but also expressed doubts due to a lack of personnel.

Other proposals adopted on Wednesday

Along with the emergency health services reform, several other health ministry proposals have been adopted today.

Kidney donations between a couple will be possible going forward.

READ ALSO: The different types of extended leave you can take in Germany

Also a new authority focused on disease prevention – the Federal Institute for Prevention and Education in Medicine (BIPAM) – is to be launched on January 1st, 2025. Parts of the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Centre for Health Education are to be absorbed into it.

Finally, gematik, which is Germany’s central platform for digital applications in the healthcare system, is to be expanded into a digital agency.

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