The proposed government draft for reorganizing the care insurance, put forward by Federal Minister of Health Nina Warken (CDU), is facing delays. According to current cabinet scheduling published in the Funke media group’s Saturday editions, the cabinet will now not approve the document until May 27th. This marks a shift from the previously announced cabinet resolution date of one week earlier.
The German Association of Aged and Disabled Care Providers (VDAB) has criticized this postponement. Thomas Knieling, the VDAB’s Federal Managing Director, told the Funke newspapers that the shift clearly suggests the draft still requires more time for consultation and internal coordination than originally estimated. Meanwhile, the window of opportunity to pass the reform before the summer recess is getting increasingly narrow. Knieling stressed that the care industry awaits binding decisions urgently in order to plan for the future and ensure adequate care provision.
He highlighted the precarious situation facing many care facility operators. For numerous institutions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure both staffing and financial stability, especially as costs for care-dependent individuals and social support agencies continue to rise. Knieling questioned what long-standing issues remain on the table: specifically, how can a generationally fair financing of the care insurance be guaranteed and how can nationwide care be secured despite a deep shortage of skilled workers? He demanded concrete steps to establish the care insurance sustainably. According to him, a genuine reform must dismantle rigid care structures, remove regulatory obstacles, and grant facilities greater operational flexibility. The federal government must provide an answer to these challenges, at the latest with the cabinet resolution.