Home places in Germany have become considerably more expensive for those in need of care and their relatives. Within a year, self -employment increased by around 300 euros. There are large regional differences.
The accommodation in need of care in a facility comes to stand more and more expensive. In this way, the shares to be paid for those in need of care increased again last year. This shows an evaluation of the replacement cash association that is available to the German Press Agency in Berlin.
Hundreds of euros difference in the own contribution
According to this, the self -employment for people in need of care increased by around 300 euros within a year in the first year of the home stay in the federal average – from an average of EUR 2,687 to EUR 2,984 in early 2025.
The regional differences that can be several hundred euros are noteworthy: the highest value in Bremen with 3,456 euros, the lowest in Saxony-Anhalt with 2,443 euros.
“Constant upward trend”
The Association of Replacements (VDEK), which includes the technician health insurance company, the Barmer and DAK health, speaks of a “constant upward trend”. Neither the surcharges paid by the long -term care insurance company nor an increase in care services at the beginning of the year could have braked.
As of January 1, the care services rose by 4.5 percent. For example, the so -called care services, i.e. the funds for professional home help for care, care and household services in the home, have increased to 2,200 euros at the highest level of care. The amount for fully inpatient care rose at degree 5 from 2.005 to 2,096 euros.
Contribution rate for Long -term care insurance increased
The contribution rate of long -term care insurance was also increased at the turn of the year – by 0.2 percentage points. The contribution rate ranges from 2.6 percent for people with five children or more up to 4.2 percent for someone without children.
He is 3.6 percent for a member of the cash register with a child, and 3.35 percent for two children. For three children, the contribution rate amounts to 3.1 percent, and for four children to 2.85 percent.
Cash registers want billions of the countries
A good two weeks before the Bundestag election, VDEK chairman Ulrike Elsner asked the parties to keep their word. If you then rule, you have to keep the care reliably and affordable. People's burdens are “too high”, the personal participation is clearly limited.
For this purpose, Elsner asked the countries, among other things, for the full financing of the construction and maintenance of the homes. The head of the association sharply criticized the practice of transferring the costs to those in need of care. The federal states had only paid 876 million euros for this area in 2022, the people in need of care around 4.4 billion euros.
A cover of these posts by the federal states alone would relieve those in need of care according to VDEK calculation by an average of 498 euros a month. In general, however, the benefits would have to be dynamized annually and geared towards economic parameters.
800,000 people are cared for in homes
Experts have been calling for further reforms in the care system for years. The background is the increasing number of those in need of care. In December 2023, almost 5.7 million people were in need of care in Germany – after almost 5.0 million in December 2021.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, the strong increase was, among other things, on the effects of a reform in 2017. Since then, people have been classified as need of care than before, such as dementia patients. Almost nine out of ten people in need of care are cared for at home. The number of people in need of care in homes rose slightly by 6,000 to just under 800,000 from December 2021 to 2023.
Eva Ellermann, ARD Berlin, Tagesschau, 06.02.2025 9:08 a.m.
