Klose in favor of comprehensive reform of long-term care insurance
According to Hesse's Minister of Social Affairs Kai Klose (Greens), a comprehensive reform by the federal government is necessary to ensure the future financing of long-term care insurance. In view of demographic change, the future sharp rise in care costs must be distributed appropriately and fairly, the minister demanded in an answer to a parliamentary question from SPD member of state parliament Daniela Sommer.
Since its introduction in 1995, long-term care insurance has been structured as partial insurance - with fixed benefit amounts that are graduated according to the degree of care, as the ministry explained.
For a long time, these long-term care insurance benefit amounts were not adjusted at all or not to the extent of general inflation, argued Klose. "This has led to an ever-increasing increase in co-payments for inpatient care, but even in the case of outpatient care, fewer hours of care services tend to be covered by the care insurance benefit."
The state government is lobbying the federal government to increase the benefit amounts, particularly in the outpatient care sector, and to adjust them automatically to inflation on a permanent basis, explained the Minister. In view of the further deterioration in the ratio of benefit recipients to working people paying contributions, however, it is foreseeable that those in need of care will have to continue to contribute to the costs of care within the scope of their assets.
The Minister of Social Affairs, Kai Klose, advocates for a federal government reform of long-term care insurance to address the rising care costs due to demographic change. To ensure fair distribution, he urges the government to reconsider the current fixed benefit amounts of long-term care insurance, which have not adequately adjusted for inflation, leading to increased co-payments and reduced covered care hours.
Source: www.dpa.com
