Berlin – Today the cabinet discussed the Care Support and Relief Act (PUEG). Ulrike Elsner, Chairwoman of the Board of the Association of Substitute Funds e. V. (vdek):
“The draft for a care reform passed by the cabinet offers no perspective for a long-term solution to the problems of those in need of care and the social care insurance. Apart from the implementation of the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision to take the number of children into account when determining the contributions, there are hardly any improvements for those in need of care and their relatives. It is disappointing that the few improvements in performance over the last few meters in the draft law were reduced again. These include in particular the cancellation of the flexible use of respite and short-term care and a postponement of digitization. The planned increases in care allowance, outpatient care benefits in kind and the staggered surcharges for personal contributions are little more than compensation for current cost increases. The high own shares remain.
There is no tax financing of non-insurance benefits
To finance the care reform, the traffic light coalition relies exclusively on increases in contributions and thus places a one-sided burden on the contributors. The tax financing of pension contributions for caregiving relatives agreed in the coalition agreement, 3.7 billion euros annually, and the complete compensation of the additional costs caused by the pandemic – 5.5 billion euros are still open here – will continue to be waived. All in all, the opportunity to set up care in a future-oriented manner is wasted.
Restriction of temporary work positive
We rate positively the new point included in the cabinet draft to improve working conditions in nursing by restricting temporary work. The fact that care facilities should no longer be able to charge the care insurance funds for the additional costs of employing temporary workers is a step in the right direction.”
Current photos of the vdek CEOs for reporting can be found here in our picture archive.
The Association of Substitute Funds e. V. (vdek) represents the interests and service provider of all six health insurance companies, which together insure more than 28 million people in Germany:
– Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), Twitter: @TK_Press
– BARMER, Twitter: @BARMER_Presse
– DAK Health, Twitter: @DAKHealth
– KKH Commercial Health Insurance, Twitter: @KKH_Politik
– hkk – Handelskrankenkasse, Twitter: @hkk_Presse
– HEK – Hanseatische Krankenkasse, Twitter: @HEKonline
The Association of Substitute Funds e. V. (vdek) was founded in Eisenach on May 20, 1912 under the name “Association of registered commercial relief funds (substitute funds)”. Until 2009, the association operated under the name “Association of Employee Health Insurance Funds e. V.” (VdAK).
More than 290 employees work at the vdek headquarters in Berlin. In the individual federal states, 15 state representations with a total of around 380 and more than 30 employees in the care bases ensure the regional presence of the substitute health insurance funds.