Nursing care insurance under pressure: Experts urgently call for reforms!

Nursing care insurance under pressure: Experts urgently call for reforms!

In the recent discussion about nursing care and health insurance in Germany, urgently needed reforms are on the agenda. Frank Plate, former President of the Federal Office for Social Security and an active member of the Joint Health Committee in Berlin, speaks vehemently on these issues. According to the Rhine newspaper Plate emphasizes that it is time to discuss the characteristics and special skills required to successfully lead a large team consisting of 800 employees. On this occasion he also gives insights into his success factors.

On July 7, 2025, the federal and state governments began negotiations to reform nursing care insurance in order to meet the challenges of demographic change and the financial stability of social nursing care insurance. As the daily news reports, the Federal Audit Office warns that the nursing care funds are threatened with a financial gap of a huge 12.3 billion euros by 2029. Health policy makers are under pressure to find effective solutions while not neglecting the needs of the population.

Financial practices in focus

The reform comes at a critical time: long-term care insurance ended 2024 with a deficit of 1.54 billion euros and the forecasts for 2025 are also worrying. There was already a loss of around 90 million euros in the first quarter; A financial decline of around 160 million euros is expected by the end of the year. In order to counter the financial bottleneck, the federal government is planning two loans totaling two billion euros in 2025 and 2026, which will be repaid from 2029.

One of the most urgent demands from associations and unions is greater financial participation from the federal and state governments in order to prevent the threat of benefit cuts. Against this background, Federal Health Minister Nina Warken is called upon to create incentives for private provision. However, there are concerns that without additional funds from the budget discussions in the Bundestag, an increase in contributions will be inevitable from January 2026.

Calls for more support

The German Foundation for Patient Protection in particular is calling for relief for those in need of care and those paying contributions in order to reduce annual burdens of around 15 billion euros. This sum is passed on to those affected as a non-insurance benefit. Adjusting the contribution assessment limit to 200,000 euros per year is also under discussion in order to sustainably improve the financial basis of long-term care insurance.

Finally, it should be said that the topic of nursing care insurance should by no means be underestimated. Especially under the pressure of demographic changes and financial challenges, everyone involved is required to set the right course. As Frank Plate aptly puts it: reforms must be noticeable in order to be able to adequately support our fellow citizens in need of care in the future.