German Health Minister Nina Warken pushes contentious care insurance reform

Federal Health Minister Nina Warken described the German Pflegeversicherung as a “sanierungsfall” and warned of a €7.5 billion deficit for the next year out of €70 billion in expenses. Her reform proposal includes a modest rise in the contribution rate for childless people (from 4.2 % to 4.3 %), stricter criteria for care grades, and cuts to pension contributions for caregivers. The plan aims to avoid a general contribution increase, add expenditure brakes and new revenue streams, and shift focus toward prevention and stronger home‑care support.

Critics, including the cancer‑self‑help federation HKSH‑BV, argue that the draft would burden patients and their families, especially through proposed cuts to pension contributions for caregivers and the removal of the entitlement in care grade 1. The association called for preserving the caregiver relief allowance and warned that reduced support would push vulnerable people into poverty.

CSU politician Klaus Holetschek called for a Swedish‑style capital‑funded pillar for the Pflegeversicherung, while DAK‑Gesundheit chief Andreas Storm advocated creating a capital stock financed by a 0.1 %‑to‑0.4 % contribution increase between 2028 and 2031, which could add about €8 billion per year to a dedicated care‑fund.

All proposals target the long‑term financing stability of Germany’s long‑term care system, which faces demographic pressure and rising costs.