Faced with increasingly higher out‑of‑pocket costs for nursing home residents, Katrin Staffler, the federal government’s nursing delegate and a member of the CSU, has urged both the federal and state governments to contribute more to nursing‑home expenses.
In a recent interview with the “Bild” (Saturday edition), Staffler said that states should take on a larger share of investment costs for nursing homes. “It would be desirable for the states to participate much more, for example by covering the investment costs” she explained. Such an approach could lower the patients’ own share of the bill. Until now, residents in long‑term care bear most of the costs, including those for renovating facilities.
Staffler also argued that the federal government could provide relief by covering training costs for nursing staff. “Just as medical training is paid from tax money, the government could also cover the training costs for nurses” she said. If that were to happen, “people in need of care could be significantly alleviated”.
Christos Pantazis, the health‑policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group, echoed the call for greater state involvement. In the “Bild” he reiterated, “We expect the states to assume their investment costs fully and reliably”.