Pflege: Linnemann gegen Rentenkürzungen für pflegende Angehörige

Bundesgesundheitsminister Carsten Linnemann has stated his opposition to planned cuts in pension benefits for caregiving relatives. "I do not want to cut pensions for caregiving relatives, regarding retirement," Linnemann said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag. The German Social Welfare Association, the Association for Patient Protection, and the Social Association SoVD supported his position.

The planned cuts were described as a "wrong approach" by Oliver Blatt, chairman of the statutory health insurance associations. Blatt stated that it was good that Linnemann intends to change this, even though significant reform is still needed. The solution for financing should be better than continuing to ask contributory pensioners of the care insurance.

Eugen Brysch, the head of the German Association for Patient Protection, agreed that it was good that the "political detour" of the planned pension cuts for caregiving relatives would be discontinued. He demanded that the federal government should bear the annual 4.2 billion euros for caregiving relatives, rather than the care insurance.

The nearly five million family members of care-dependent individuals already contribute 206 billion euros. However, it remained unclear whether the federal government would finally pay for these non-insurance services. Linnemann is just beginning to create a future-oriented and generational care insurance. The reform proposal envisioned by Linnemann's predecessor, Nina Warken, included expenditure cuts and additional revenue to avoid general contribution increases and potential rent increases for caregiving individuals - up to 740 euros per month.

The limitation of payments was necessary to stabilize the care insurance, according to the ministry under Warken. This was estimated to save 1.8 billion euros by 2027. Merz expressed skepticism about the proposal, stating that the decision on this point was not yet final. "I see it critically," he said. The draft was still being discussed in the government's internal vote, with details to be determined.

Linnemann emphasized that cutting payments for retirees' insurance would make society colder. "It will become colder because these are people who hold our society together," he said. "And that's why I will try to correct this point, so that no cuts are made, but that the pension points remain." The coalition now needs to discuss financing for compensating this measure, Linnemann said.

"It won't be easy, but we'll find ways to compensate it." Merz's announcement from July indicated that the reform would be on the agenda in the fall.