The Sozialverband Deutschland (SoVD), a prominent social welfare association, is calling for increased government funding to bolster both the health and long-term care insurance systems. Michaela Engelmeier, SoVD’s chairwoman, emphasized the substantial challenges facing the current administration, attributing them to demographic shifts and a lack of systemic reform in recent decades.
Engelmeier specifically highlighted the need for immediate funding of non-insurance-related benefits currently supported by tax revenues. She advocated for structural changes to strengthen the financial stability and performance of the healthcare system, proposing a citizen-based health insurance model as a potential solution.
Similarly, the SoVD is urging a transition of the existing long-term care insurance into a comprehensive citizen-based system. This would ensure complete coverage of care-related risks, with costs shared across the community according to individual capacity. Engelmeier also suggested a temporary capping of individual contributions until this transition can be fully realized.
The call for increased funding aligns with recent statements from Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken, who has also championed greater budgetary resources for healthcare and long-term care. Warken specifically addressed concerning increases in individual contributions, particularly for institutional care within the long-term care insurance framework, expressing a desire to halt further escalations.