Lauterbach reveals enhanced financial donations
The Health Minister of Germany, Lauterbach, has suggested that insured individuals will need to shell out more for health and long-term care insurance starting from 2025. This increase in contributions is necessary due to the financial strain faced by hospitals, as per Lauterbach. He assures that this investment will result in improved healthcare services for the contributors.
As reported by "Der Spiegel", Lauterbach believes that if hospitals don't receive financial assistance now, they might not make it to the "safe haven" of healthcare reform. He insists on immediate investments to prevent this situation, stating, "It's high time we put our money where it matters, including that of the contributors." Only then will it be feasible to carry out essential structural reforms, which could potentially control the escalating long-term costs.
Lauterbach emphasized that the contributors would also reap benefits from these reforms, promising better healthcare services in return. He dismissed calls for a short-term reform package from the German Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV) aimed at avoiding the impending contribution hike. Lauterbach expresses his opposition to 'cutting corners in the system' now, implying that the necessary investments are needed. He warns that delaying necessary changes could lead to more significant problems in the future.
According to the report, the contribution to health and long-term care insurance could potentially rise nearly by one percentage point at the beginning of 2025. The current employer-employee shared contribution rate for statutory health insurance stands at 14.6%. Dependent additional contribution, on the other hand, is 1.7% on average, as set by the Federal Ministry of Health. The contribution rate for long-term care insurance currently stands at 3.4% of gross income, making it 4% for childless individuals.
The following is added to Lauterbach's plan for improving healthcare services: a potential increase in contributions for health and long-term care insurance starting 2025. Lauterbach further emphasizes that immediate investments are necessary to prevent hospitals from not making it to the "safe haven" of healthcare reform, stating, "It's high time we put our money where it matters."
