Compromise on reform projects
Lauterbach now wants to enforce a flexible care budget
5/23/2023 7:23 am
Well, yes: According to a report, the benefits for short-term and respite care are now combined in the draft law on care reform. Health Minister Lauterbach’s idea had actually already been cancelled. For citizens, that would bring more flexibility.
According to a report, the coalition parties have reached a compromise in the dispute over the design of the care reform. As the editorial network Germany (RND) reports, citing negotiating groups, the merging of services for short-term and preventive care into a flexibly usable budget, which was initially removed from the draft law by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, is to be included again in the reform.
To counter-finance the annual costs of around 500 million euros, the benefits for outpatient care should not be increased by five percent at the beginning of 2024, but only by 4.5 percent.
The introduction of a flexible budget had already been agreed in the coalition agreement. However, the project was overturned again under pressure from the FDP shortly before the draft law was passed in the cabinet. This was met with fierce criticism from the Greens and from care and social organizations.
Almost 3400 euros total budget
According to the RND, a total budget of 3386 euros will be available for preventive care (previous benefit: up to 1612 euros) and short-term care (up to 1774 euros), which the beneficiaries can choose flexibly for both benefits can use.
Although patient advocates praised the flexible budget, they criticized the planned counter-financing. The head of the Patient Protection Foundation, Eugen Brysch, told the RND that the actually planned increase of five percent from 2024 was a breach of political promises. After all, the government had given the population a promise to actually adjust the services to the price increase in 2022.
“Even if the joint relief budget for preventive care and short-term care is to come, other minimum commitments from the coalition must not be sacrificed for this,” criticized Brysch. He appealed “to the common sense of the deputies” “not to decide on this reform”.