(Gemini Audio)
(de-news.net) – Criticism of the findings of the joint working group composed of federal, state, and municipal representatives on long‑term care reform has been dismissed by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU). She emphasized that certain substantive agreements had been reached, including a review of the evaluation procedures used to classify individuals into care levels and a stronger focus on preventive measures designed to reduce future dependency. In her view, the subsequent step must involve coordination with the GKV financial commission she established, together with other relevant stakeholders, in order to formulate a comprehensive reform program. She argued that fragmented solutions would be detrimental, as the measures were intrinsically interconnected.
Addressing the criticism, Warken observed that expectations of the commission’s output had likely been excessive. She explained that, given the multi‑tiered composition of the group, no participant was inclined to assume additional financial obligations, particularly in relation to proposals such as capping individual contributions to care costs. She underscored that the Federal Government’s explicit position was that the billions in loans extended to stabilize the care insurance system must be repaid. These repayments, she continued, would need to be integrated into the financing structure of the insurance in the coming years. The guiding principle, she insisted, should be the preservation of the system’s sustainability without reliance on temporary transfers from the federal budget.
The minister also rejected proposals to raise the wage threshold for care insurance contributions from 5,500 to 8,000 euros in order to increase payments from higher‑income earners. While acknowledging that the coalition partner held a divergent position, she maintained that her political objective was to avoid imposing additional burdens and therefore favored alternative approaches. She indicated that forthcoming negotiations would address this divergence and seek a financing arrangement acceptable to all parties. Warken announced that draft legislation would be presented by mid‑2026, with the reform scheduled to enter into force on January 1, 2027.
Concurrently, Andreas Gassen, chair of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), called for the identification of new revenue sources for the health system. He argued that medical practices should not be subjected to further bureaucratic requirements but suggested that a revised version of the former practice fee—collected directly from patients by insurers—could be considered. He maintained that a quarterly fee of ten euros would be reasonable. Gassen recalled that the earlier practice fee, abolished in 2012, had generated approximately two billion euros annually for insurers, while specialists such as dermatologists currently receive only about fifteen euros per patient per month.
The KBV chairman further advocated the introduction of a sugar tax modeled on Scandinavian precedents and the increase of levies on tobacco and alcohol. He insisted that such revenues must be earmarked for the health system rather than absorbed into the federal budget. He presented calculations indicating that an additional two euros per cigarette pack could yield approximately seven billion euros annually, while simultaneously discouraging youth smoking. He stressed that smoking remains the principal cause of lung cancer, heart attacks, and strokes. According to the head of the KBV, the higher price would be all the more welcome if it also discouraged adolescents from smoking. Additional revenues, Gassen argued, ought to be earmarked exclusively for the health sector.
At the same time, Gassen urged Federal Health Minister Warken to abolish reimbursement for homeopathy. By eliminating such coverage, annual savings of approximately fifty million euros could be achieved, since no empirical evidence substantiates the efficacy of homeopathic treatments. Funding should likewise be withdrawn from digital health applications, which impose recurring costs amounting to several million euros each year.
At the same time, data from the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) revealed that sick leave among its employed members had declined slightly but remained at a high level. Between January and October 2025, each insured worker was absent an average of 15.36 days, compared with 15.86 days during the same period in 2024. Respiratory illnesses, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychiatric conditions continued to account for the majority of absences. TK reported that absences due to musculoskeletal problems had decreased modestly, from 2.26 days in the previous year to 2.17 days in 2025. The average number of days lost to respiratory illnesses also declined, from 3.79 to 3.48. By contrast, psychological diagnoses such as depression and anxiety disorders registered a slight increase, rising from 3.11 to 3.14 days of absence per insured worker.
