Berlin: (hib/BAL) The federal government currently sees no wave of closures in the report on geriatric and long-term care, although a “slightly higher number of insolvencies” has been recorded compared to previous periods, it writes in its answer (20/8036). a small question (20/7837) from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
Referring to the company’s database pflegemarkt.com, the reply further states that a total of 105 new nursing service locations were opened and 97 were closed in the first quarter of 2023. In the inpatient area, 25 new inpatient care facilities have been opened and twelve have been closed. “In addition, it should be borne in mind that many providers are building new forms of housing with the aim of substituting offers from classic nursing homes,” explains the federal government.
The Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) has made it clear to the long-term care insurance funds that the long-term care insurance funds are responsible for ensuring the care of their insured and must monitor corresponding developments with regard to the range of professional care. In a letter dated June 13, 2023, Minister Lauterbach made it clear to the Central Association of Nursing Insurance Funds (GKV-SV) that the nursing care insurance funds were legally obliged to “conclude appropriate supply contracts and remuneration agreements with nursing care facilities so that the insured receive the nursing care insurance benefits to which they are entitled can actually take advantage of”.
In addition, the federal government sees the states as having an obligation. A study commissioned by the BMG for the 2021 reporting year makes it clear “that the federal states continue to fulfill their mandate only very inadequately” in terms of the assumption of investment costs. These should actually use funds that were saved with the introduction of long-term care insurance in social assistance. The federal states are responsible for “according to § 9 SGB XI the responsibility for the provision of an efficient, numerically sufficient and economical nursing care structure”, emphasizes the federal government in its answer to the small question.
In addition, the federal government refers, among other things, to tax-financed aid for care in the course of the corona pandemic and for help in view of high energy prices. Collective wages should not be disqualified as uneconomical by the long-term care insurance funds, rather they would have to conclude remuneration agreements that take wage-related cost increases into account.