A Pledge of Support: Lars Klingbeil Secures Funding for Struggling Health and Care Insurance
Klingbeil vows to inject funds into health insurance tax contributions
The new Health Minister's plea has been heeded as Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil promises financial aid from the federal budget for the ailing health and care insurance sectors. However, he makes it clear that permanent solutions can't be achieved solely with tax money.
Following the advice from the Health Minister, Klingbeil has vowed to enforce structural reforms in the social security systems, but initial support will be given to the ailing health and care insurance sector from the federal budget. "We are fully aware of the hardships faced by the health and care insurance," Klingbeil stated to the German Press Agency (dpa). "We need to stabilize the situation here, but we can't keep plugging these gaps with more tax money forever," he cautioned.
The Coalition's Commitment: Fundamental Reforms on the Horizon
The Vice-Chancellor referred to the agreement in the coalition agreement, which stipulates the black-red coalition's intention to collaborate with experts to develop comprehensive and bold structural reforms. In the past, Federal Health Minister Nina Warken demanded financial assistance from the federal government to bolster both insurance systems and prevent further increases in contribution rates. Both sectors are experiencing deficits.
The Billion-Euro Shortfall: A Reality Check from Warken
The CDU politician highlights that the federal government owes both the health and care insurance sectors billions, which contributes to the gaps in the system as undocumented contributions for citizens' income recipients and insurance-foreign services from the corona period. Warken estimates the shortfall for citizens' income recipients at ten billion and the federal corona debts at almost six billion euros. Klingbeil remains tight-lipped about the exact amount of the federal subsidy promised, providing no further details to dpa.
Bridging the Gap: Klingbeil's Vision for a Strong Social State
Klingbeil insists that hardworking individuals should be able to rely on a robust social safety net. "We need to be more imaginative than just asking people to work longer hours or cutting essential services in the health sector," Klingbeil stated. He also defends the proposal by the Labor Minister, Barbara Bas, to integrate civil servants into the statutory pension insurance system. "I believe we can discuss who contributes what and how much to the pension fund," Klingbeil emphasized. The Chancellery has already rejected the proposal, stating it's not outlined in the coalition agreement.
Source: ntv.de, mau
- Lars Klingbeil
- Health Insurers
- Statutory Health Insurers
- Care Insurance
- Nina Warken
- Lars Klingbeil has promised financial aid from the federal budget for the struggling health and care insurance sectors, acknowledging the challenges they face, while emphasizing that permanent solutions cannot be achieved solely with tax money.
- The Vice-Chancellor and Federal Finance Minister, Klingbeil, has vowed to enforce structural reforms in the social security systems, as part of the coalition agreement, with initial support being given to the health and care insurance sector.
- Nina Warken, Federal Health Minister, has pointed out that the federal government owes both the health and care insurance sectors billions, contributing to the gaps in the system, and has estimated the shortfall for citizens' income recipients at ten billion euros and the federal corona debts at almost six billion euros.
