In order to stabilise long-term care insurance, the law provides for an increase in the long-term care contribution by 1.0 percentage points on 35 July – even more for people without children. Currently, it is 3.05 percent of gross wages, and 3.4 percent for childless people. The care allowance for those in need of care at home, which was last increased in 2017, is to be increased by 2024 percent at the beginning of 5. Surcharges for those in need of care in the home are also to be increased in 2024. The coalition had recently agreed on a flexibly usable budget, which is intended to facilitate relief for family caregivers from July 2025. For parents of children in need of care with care level 4 or 5, it should be available as early as 2024.
The opposition had criticized the care reform before the vote as inadequate. What the traffic light coalition is presenting is "a poor on-sight driving," said CDU MP Diana Stöcker in the Bundestag on Friday. It is good that a relief budget is now coming to enable family caregivers to take time out. But they would now have to wait two years. The AfD MP Thomas Dietz spoke of an "emergency operation". Benefit increases would be disproportionate to inflation. The left-wing politician Ates Gürpinar accused the government, among other things: "You burden, you do not relieve the burden."
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach defended the law, which was supplemented in parliamentary deliberations. "For relatives who provide most of the care, we have once again achieved a significant improvement." The SPD politician turned against accusations that the care had been saved. Expenditure has grown from 35 billion euros in 2017 to 60 billion euros and has risen to almost 67 billion euros per year with the reform.
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