(de-news.net) – Carsten Linnemann (CDU), the new German Health Minister, is attempting to stop proposed reductions in pension credits for family caregivers, claiming that their services to society call for ongoing assistance. The Social Association of Germany has applauded his stance, but the idea faces financial obstacles inside the ruling coalition. In the wake of attacks on healthcare professionals, Linnemann has also demanded more stringent legal protections and expedited trials.
According to the proposed Nursing Care Reorganization Act, Linnemann plans to prevent projected reductions in pension entitlements for people who care for family members. He has argued that cutting pension benefits for family caregivers would send the wrong message about the value society places on their work while diminishing recognition for people who help sustain the social system. Linnemann said he intends to work to ensure that existing pension credits are preserved rather than reduced.
The proposal emerged as Germany’s long-term care insurance system faces an anticipated multibillion-euro deficit and was developed under Linnemann’s predecessor, Nina Warken (CDU). The package combines additional revenue measures with spending limits designed to avoid a general increase in contribution rates. Among the measures under consideration is a reduction in the pension contributions that care funds make, under certain conditions, for people who provide care to relatives. Rather than maintaining the current level of support, the government has considered limiting pension credits earned in the future to 70 percent of current levels.
The proposed changes have drawn criticism from within the governing coalition, indicating that the issue remains politically unsettled. Linnemann said opposition had emerged not only from the SPD and CSU but also from members of his own party. Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) similarly said in July that the matter had not been decided and would require further discussion as the proposal moved through the government’s internal deliberations. Against that backdrop, Linnemann said he expected the preservation of pension credits for family caregivers to become a broader objective shared across the coalition.
Maintaining the existing benefits, however, would require the government to identify alternative financing. Linnemann pointed to the government’s simultaneous commitment to keeping the general contribution rate at 3.6 percent, arguing that this still leaves room to reconsider other elements of the financing framework and offset the additional costs. He acknowledged that reaching an agreement with the SPD would not be easy, reflecting the competing fiscal and policy priorities within the coalition. Even so, he said he expected the partners in government to find a way to finance the measure.
Linnemann wins SoVD backing
The Social Association of Germany, or SoVD, welcomed Linnemann’s position. Michaela Engelmeier, the association’s head, viewed his rejection of cuts as an important signal at the beginning of his tenure and argued that the approach should help shape the broader reform of Germany’s health and long-term care policies. She also pointed to Linnemann’s willingness to consider alternative financing as evidence that socially oriented solutions could remain possible despite significant budgetary constraints. In that assessment, the debate over pension credits for caregivers extends beyond a single spending measure to the broader question of how the care system recognizes people who provide support within their families.
Linnemann has also called for stronger legal protection for medical personnel following repeated assaults in hospital emergency departments. He has argued that violence against doctors and nurses in facilities where patients may be facing life-threatening conditions requires a forceful response from the state. After discussing the issue with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, Linnemann advocated a zero-tolerance approach to attacks on employees working in sensitive health care settings.
As part of that approach, Linnemann called for faster legal proceedings, arguing that convictions should follow offenses within days or weeks whenever feasible in order to strengthen deterrence. He also urged parliament to move quickly on proposed legislative changes intended to improve the protection of health care workers. The aim, he said, is to ensure that stronger safeguards take effect without unnecessary delay.
