Regularly increase care benefits in the future?

Ersatzkassenverband calls for a regular increase in long-term care benefits

30/04/2014

The Verband der Ersatzkassen (vdek) is calling for a regular increase in long-term care benefits and others „quick help“ to support the people in need of care. The members of the association, such as the Techniker Krankenkasse, the Barmer GEK or the DAK health, made on the occasion of the „Consultation of the associations on the draft bill for a new law to improve the benefits for people in need of care and for the establishment of a long-term care fund“ her position in a recent press release clearly.

The chairman of the Ersatzkassenverband, Ulrike Elsner, called on the federal government to enshrine a binding provision in the law in order to protect the benefits of long-term care from devaluation. With the „Level One“ The Federal Government is already taking a major step forward in improving the care reform in order to improve the care provided to about 2.5 million people in need of care in Germany. In addition, however, be „in particular the adjustment of the amounts of benefits - dynamization - around usually 4 per cent necessary, in order to counteract the inflation-induced price decline of the achievements“, the vdek explains in its current release.

Implement second level of care reform in a timely manner
The Ersatzkassenverband also advocated rapid implementation of the second Pflegereform level. The association chairman stressed that the „Stage Twothe nursing reform will come during this legislative period“ got to. „We owe it to the people in need of care after nearly eight years of intensive discussion“, Elsner continues. Regarding the regular increase in benefits, the vdek chairman said that „the dynamization will be regular and binding in the future“ should, taking it „It would be good to link the adjustment of the benefit amounts to an economic parameter, such as the general price increase.“

Fast help for those in need of care
A timely improvement in the care of those in need of care can, according to the vdek „quick help“, such as an increase in care services or the introduction of relief services to support household care (which would significantly reduce the burden on caring relatives). Overall, however, these are not sufficient to allow tangible improvements in long-term care benefits. (Fp)