(de-news.net) – Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU), the health minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, has reiterated his call for a comprehensive overhaul of Germany’s long-term care system, arguing that while the social long-term care insurance scheme has functioned as an effective pillar of social protection, its present configuration is no longer viable in the medium to long term. In his assessment, mounting demographic pressures, combined with structural imbalances within the system, make a fundamental recalibration unavoidable if the sustainability and fairness of care provision are to be preserved.
In this context, Laumann stressed that the existing framework of five care levels should remain in place, but be complemented by a more rigorous and precisely targeted assessment mechanism. He argued that a critical review of both the criteria and the underlying orientation of these care levels is necessary in order to identify and correct incentives that may unintentionally encourage misclassification. Such adjustments, he maintains, would strengthen the integrity of the system. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of prevention, advocating a stronger policy focus on measures aimed at delaying or averting the onset of care dependency wherever possible.
Laumann also clearly rejected proposals advanced by the Social Democratic Party to introduce a cap on out-of-pocket payments for nursing home residents. From his perspective, the core mandate of long-term care insurance is to cover care-related services rather than costs for accommodation and meals, which individuals are likewise required to finance when they are not dependent on care. He argued that a general cap would primarily benefit those who are already able to afford these payments, while redistributing the financial burden across society through higher taxes or insurance contributions, including from low-income earners. In support of this position, Laumann pointed out that a substantial majority of nursing home residents receive no financial assistance from municipal authorities, indicating that many are able to meet these expenses through pensions, additional income streams, or accumulated savings.
