Ahead of the federal cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday, the German Caritas has launched a critical critique of the proposed health reform package put forward by Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU). Caritas President Eva Welskop-Deffaa stated that the draft bill significantly requires improvement, pointing to a clear social imbalance within the reform efforts.
Welskop-Deffaa argued that rather than fully exploiting potential cost savings within the pharmaceutical industry, the current plan disproportionately targets solidary elements of the statutory health insurance system. These areas include the planned limitation of family insurance, the proposed increase in co-payments, and reductions in sickness benefits.
The Caritas expressed that the stabilization of health insurance contributions and overall structural reform are absolutely necessary. She noted that for years, rising costs have been driving higher contributions for insured individuals while household disposable income shrinks, jeopardizing the system’s ability to match the level of care provided by neighboring European states.
Regarding the financing of contributions for recipients of Bürgergeld, Welskop-Deffaa proposed a phased approach, arguing that a purely contribution-based system cannot sustainably cover the estimated 12 billion euros annually without corresponding tax funding.
Ultimately, the organization demanded that the federal government achieve a constructive consensus on a reform package that guarantees the quality and accessibility of care irrespective of income or residential location, particularly for the chronically ill and those in acute need of assistance.
Separately, the Caritas voiced its support for CDU Chairman Friedrich Merz during the ongoing pension debate. Welskop-Deffaa cited Merz’s recent comments at the CDA’s 80th birthday celebration in Marburg, where he clarified that the statutory pension insurance remains crucial because it is uniquely positioned to provide not only old-age payments but also comprehensive security for disability and the link between pension and rehabilitation.
The Caritas agreed with Merz that a strong, solidary system of old-age security is necessary, affirming that they will seriously take his signal into account. Moving forward, they stated they would measure further reforms against his commitment to social justice and to a union that puts people first.
Merz himself affirmed that the statutory pension remains a foundational pillar of the retirement system and that he does not intend to restrict it. However, he stressed that the debate must move beyond simply establishing minimum guarantees within the statutory insurance, requiring instead a comprehensive look at all three pillars-statutory, occupational, and private-and defining a new relationship among them.