(de-news.net) — A 13-person expert commission has been created by Germany to create a comprehensive long-term care reform; recommendations are anticipated by January 2027, and implementation is scheduled for July. With insurers under increasing financial strain, the panel will look at home-based care, out-of-pocket expenses, and sustainable funding. Its plans will expand upon initial actions that the coalition has already authorized.

The Federal Government has appointed a 13-member expert commission to develop a comprehensive reform of the country’s long-term care system, with initial recommendations expected by the end of January 2027 and implementation scheduled for July 1. The initiative aims to secure sustainable financing, preserve the quality of care and limit out-of-pocket expenses as the number of people requiring assistance continues to rise. The panel will be led by Gabriele Kuhn-Zuber, a Berlin-based legal scholar and president of the Catholic University of Applied Social Sciences Berlin, and Georg Cremer, former secretary-general of the German Caritas Association.

A central priority will be strengthening home-based care, alongside a greater emphasis on prevention and early rehabilitation. The commission will also examine whether personal contributions paid by nursing home residents should be capped and assess the feasibility of financial equalization between statutory and private long-term care insurance. These issues form part of a broader mandate to develop financing arrangements that remain viable over the short, medium and long term.

Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) said the reform must keep care affordable and ensure that assistance reaches those who need it. Particular attention is to be given to family members who provide care at home. The government also seeks to balance individual financial responsibility with collective insurance protection while avoiding excessive burdens on younger generations.

Financing pressures drive calls for structural reform

The commission’s establishment follows preliminary measures approved in September after negotiations between the governing coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD. Among those measures is a planned increase of 0.3 percentage points in long-term care insurance contributions for people without children, effective 1 January 2027. However, care insurers continue to report financing requirements amounting to billions of euros, highlighting the need for a more extensive structural reform beyond the immediate stabilization measures.

Oliver Blatt, chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, has urged lawmakers to begin drafting legislation as soon as the commission presents its findings in January. He regards the process as an opportunity to combine existing proposals and policy options into a compromise capable of securing broader social acceptance.

The panel is expected to develop practical financing proposals that could include capital-funded elements within the long-term care system and measures to make supplementary private insurance more attractive. Its mandate also encompasses constitutionally compliant social compensation mechanisms, both within and outside the existing insurance framework. Although the government aims to provide an appropriate level of financial protection for people requiring care, comprehensive coverage of all expenses is not envisaged. The challenge is to establish a sustainable balance between collective support, individual contributions and the system’s long-term financial requirements.