Contribution increase expected at nursing care insurance

AOK expects higher long-term care insurance contributions

Due to the increasing number of people in need of care in Germany, the CEO of the Federal Association of General Local Health Insurance Funds (AOK) expects higher contributions in the statutory long-term care insurance.

(06.12.2010) The chairman of the board of the Federal Association of AOK-Krankenkassen, Herbert Reichelt, expects in about three years „moderate“ Contribution increases in long-term care insurance. Reichelt said in an interview to the newspaper „The world“: „The financial reserves are expected to last only until spring 2014. Then there will have to be a moderate increase in premiums“. The reason for this is that there will be more and more people in Germany who are in need of care. Due to demographic change, diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's will increase significantly. "At the same time, we want to better care for all people with dementia, which is why care insurance needs more money," explained Reichelt.

In addition, the association head of the largest association of statutory health insurance called on the black-yellow coalition to leave the planned funding in the long-term care insurance of the statutory health insurance. "If you want to introduce a capital cover, then this must be done within the framework of the statutory long-term care insurance". In this way, it can be ensured that the funding of the capital and the contribution levy work together.

The long-term care insurance is a social insurance that covers the costs of care in case of neediness. The contribution rate is currently at an average of 1.95 percent. The long-term care insurance is financed on an equal basis, which means that the contributions are borne equally by employees and employers (0.975 per cent each). (Sb)

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Picture credits: Rainer Sturm