Abolish care level 1? So much money is about it in concrete terms

The austerity measure is required from the Union, but the SPD is: the coalition is struggling whether the level of care 1 should be abolished. CDU Minister of Health Nina Warken openly commented on it. “We become the People not above Night something Take away, “she told RTL/NTV – but did not fundamentally abolish the level of care 1. Changes are necessary to” make the system in good condition, “she said.

The social associations are still outraged as a precaution. The German Foundation for Patient Protection recalled that care level 1 had once been introduced to include people with dementia. “If the federal government wants to abolish this level of care, that would be a difficult blow for those affected,” said its chairman Eugen Brysch. But what exactly is it about?

A so -called relief amount of 131 euros is available per month after a classification in care level 1. It doesn’t matter whether a nursing service or a relative helps to shower, shop or laundry. A cleaning service can also be billed at the cash register. Nursing relatives also receive free courses.

In addition, the installation of a barrier -free shower or a care bed is also subsidized. The monthly surcharge for nursing average is 42 euros. A monthly residential group subsidy of 224 euros is also possible. An emergency call system is financed up to 25.50 euros per month. And: The remodeling of the apartment can be funded up to 4180 euros once.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, a good 860,000 people were classified in care levels at the end of 2024. That was about 80,000 more than a year earlier.

The medical service experts rate the need for care on behalf of the health insurers on a scale of 0 to 100 points. These criteria apply: mobility, cognitive and communicative skills, psychological problems, the possibility of self -sufficiency, therapeutic stress, everyday life and social contacts.

For care level 1, at least 12.5 and less than 27 points must be forgiven. This corresponds to a “low impairment of independence”.

In the case of care levels 2 (27 to less than 47.5 points), “considerable impairments” must be available. Most of the well -groomed – a good two million people – are classified in this category. Here, for example, there is also the possibility of day and night care for up to 721 euros per month and care services (796 euros per month).

In the case of care levels 3 (47.5 to less than 70 points), “serious impairments” must be attested, with care levels 4 (70 to less than 90 points) “severe impairments”.

With the highest level of care 5 (90 to 100 points), “special requirements for nursing care” are added. Here, for example, fully inpatient care in the home is funded with 2096 euros a month.

Yes. The current system was only introduced in 2017. Five degrees of care became the three care levels up to that point. The former care level 1 met, for example, the services of today’s care levels 2 to 3. This means that there was no lower -threshold support up to this point.

Last year, around 63 billion euros in care services were paid out. This means that the costs have more than quadrupled since the turn of the millennium. Since then, the number of nurses doubled to 1.2 million. About a third of the funds flows into fully inpatient care.

A total of around 5.65 million people receive benefits from statutory long -term care insurance, including around 850,000 in the home. There are also almost 380,000 privately insured persons.

There are no precise numbers for this. One thing is clear: it is only a small fraction of the total expenses. The RWI Leibniz Institute for Economic Research estimates the savings volume at around 1.8 billion euros per year.

The contribution has increased continuously since the introduction of long -term care insurance 30 years ago. If he started at 1.0 percent in 1995, 3.6 percent now have to be paid for by gross wages. For childless insured persons, the contribution is even 4.2 percent.

No. For this year, a deficit of long -term care insurance is expected between 1.6 and 2 billion euros, for 2026 a minus of 3.5 billion euros is forecast. That means: the abolition of the level of care would not be enough to stuff the hole. The federal government and countries have deployed a commission to prepare a reform. Corner points should be available by the end of this year.