Bundestag Debates Carsten Linnemann's Care Reform as Eigenanteil Reaches 3,364 Euros

The Bundestag is currently negotiating the care reform (Pflegereform) put forward by Health Minister Carsten Linnemann of the CDU. Under current conditions, nursing home residents already pay an Eigenanteil (personal contribution) of 3,364 euros, and no cap on this amount is planned. Linnemann did offer one piece of positive news: pension points for caregiving relatives will not be cut as previously intended. However, his broader statements on the reform carry a threatening undertone. His assertion that "home care is central" implies that those who can no longer afford institutional care due to skyrocketing Eigenanteile should manage at home. The reform also proposes eliminating the small compensation payment of 131 euros for people in Pflegestufe 1 (care level 1). The article appears in the current issue of Der Freitag, authored by Ulrike Baureithel. The debate raises urgent questions about the financial burden on families and the feasibility of shifting care responsibilities to the home. A new expert commission on pensions, health, and care is also mentioned. The full analysis is available in the Freitag edition.