Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was a guest of the Thüringer Allgemeine and spoke to the newspaper’s readers. /image alliance, Jan Woitas
Berlin – Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he wants to quickly address nursing reform. It will be a challenge, but we have to face this task, the SPD politician said yesterday at a press conference General of Thuringia organized discussion of citizens.
A nursing committee’s report will be available at the end of the month, Scholz said. This concerns good working conditions and staff recruitment, but also funding and the amount of contributions – “a lot of work, and we will start working on it as soon as this report is available”.
As soon as solutions are found, they will be implemented. The commission of experts appointed by the federal government under the leadership of Federal Ministry of Healthrivers is expected to present recommendations on permanent financing of long-term care insurance by the end of May.
A few days ago, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), unlike the Chancellor, made it clear that he sees no chance of reform in this election period due to differences in the traffic light coalition – despite a recent “explosive” increase in the number of people in need of care.
Scholz qualified this statement. “We must not shy away from the debate”, said the Chancellor. Decisions are not made at the push of a button, but when citizens decide.
Lauterbach said a solution may not be found quickly because so many people have something to say about the issue. But Lauterbach will be the last to stop a solution, Scholz said.
Carola Reimann, President of the Federal Association AOK, highlighted today that when it comes to the issue of long-term care insurance, “there is no problem of knowledge, only a problem of implementation”. After all, the traffic light agreed on common solutions in the coalition agreement in 2021.
She emphasized that financing pension contributions for family caregivers through federal funds alone would reduce the burden on nursing care insurance by around four billion euros. In addition, appropriate flat rates would also be required for those receiving citizenship benefits for social long-term care insurance.
And finally, around 4.5 billion euros are still outstanding, with which the SPV made advance payments during the Corona crisis. “The coalition must therefore remember its promises and finally implement its own funding proposals, which have been on the back burner for three years,” said Reimann.
Patient representatives also call for concrete measures following Scholz’s signals (SPD). The federal government is now obliged to decide on the amount of the tax subsidy, an adjustment to contribution rates and care services, said board member of the German Patient Protection Foundation Eugen Brysch. Personal contribution to those in need of care should be limited and can be planned for the future. © dpa/may/aerzteblatt.de