The need for care and the financial viability of care provision: where are the limits of the system?

In light of demographic change, the financing of long-term care in Germany faces major challenges. Wiltrud Pekarek, Chair of the Health Insurance Committee and a member of the Executive Board of the German Actuarial Association (DAV), pointed out once again today during a plenary session on the fringes of the DAV Annual Conference in Berlin that long-term care insurance is deliberately not designed as comprehensive cover. Rather, it is intended to provide basic cover, whilst part of the costs must be borne privately. The system requires greater personal responsibility and funded provision.