Overview
- Stakeholders expect the federal government to decide at next week’s budget adjustment meeting on adding €1.7 billion to the existing €1.5 billion loan to close the 2026 funding gap, with ministries reported to be negotiating the terms.
- DAK’s Andreas Storm warns the system is at a tipping point and says a top-up is needed to avoid a midyear contribution hike if rates are to stay unchanged in 2026.
- The contribution rate has climbed from about 2% in 2012 to 3.6% today, and IGES modeling projects it could exceed 5% in coming years without major reform.
- Household burdens continue to grow, with average monthly out-of-pocket payments for nursing home residents reaching €3,108 in the first half of 2025.
- Policy camps diverge: Greens criticize more borrowing and call for broader revenues, the SPD signals openness to a cap on care-home costs, the CSU floats a ‘Sockel-Spitze’ shift and spending curbs, employer groups press deregulation citing rigid staffing and paperwork, and the VdK urges a unified insurance covering all citizens.