Ahead of meetings in the Coalition Committee, Caritas President Eva Welskop-Deffaa has called upon the federal government to alleviate the financial burden on citizens regarding social contributions. Welskop-Deffaa informed the Funke media group that rising energy prices combined with increasing social insurance contributions are directly shrinking the disposable income available to households. She stressed that the federal budget must allocate sufficient funds to effectively cushion these escalating financial pressures.
The Caritas President specifically demanded that the federal government finally take over the costs of social insurance that are currently not covered by contributions and are improperly saddling paying members. This support, she urged, should begin with the health insurance contributions for recipients of the Bürgergeld (citizen’s income) and should extend to covering the reimbursement of COVID-related costs for the long-term care insurance.
Meanwhile, top representatives from the Union and the Social Democrats (SPD) are scheduled to meet at the Coalition Committee on Tuesday. Following the failure of a relief subsidy premium in the Bundesrat (Federal Council), they plan to deliberate on alternative methods to provide financial relief to the public.