SPD stops care reform for the time being: "We won't let that happen"

Next week, the Federal Cabinet wanted to launch the planned reform in nursing care - but that will probably not work out. The SPD wants to renegotiate and threatens to blockade according to information from the ARD capital studio. From Alexander Budweg Health Minister Carsten Linnemann (CDU) actually wanted to make his first big serve next Wednesday. Then he wanted to get the green light from the Federal Cabinet for his proposal on how the financing of statutory long-term care insurance can be secured in the long term.

But according to information from the ARD capital studio, the SPD is threatening to let the project fail for the time being. With the current plans, "massive cuts are threatened above all for carers, for those in need of care, but also for their relatives," said SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf. He made it clear: "We won't let that happen." SPD for nursing cover Instead of additional burdens for those in need of care and relatives, the SPD wants a nursing cover. This should limit the own shares in the care.

"We want to prevent people and their families from being financially overwhelmed by the costs of care," says Klüssendorf. In addition, the SPD wants a system into which everyone pays. However, if the separation of statutory and private long-term care insurance is to be maintained, there must at least be "a fair financial balance" between the two. Rising expenditure on personnel, accommodation and care has been causing an ever-growing deficit in statutory long-term care insurance for years.

In the first half of 2026 alone, this amounted to minus 770 million euros. Criticism of Warken's plans Linnemann's predecessor Nina Warken (CDU) had submitted a draft of speakers on the reform of long-term care insurance, which included cuts for caring relatives. Warken struck a storm of indignation for her plans, which is why it has not yet been approved by the Federal Cabinet. Warken's successor must now complete the project.

Talks on Monday Two days ago, Linnemann announced in the Bundestag that his bill would be approved by the Federal Government on Wednesday. According to information from the ARD capital studio, there will be talks again on Monday, but in the SPD it is not assumed that there will be a quick agreement. Linnnemann had also stated that there should be no cuts for caring relatives. In the planned reform of the statutory long-term care insurance, no law should go through the Bundestag, "where we experience pension cuts for the caring relatives," Linnemann had declared in the Bundestag.

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