Long-term care insurance at a glance

Long-term care insurance is a central part of the German healthcare system. It supports people who need assistance in their daily lives. This can happen due to illness, disability, or old age. Many things that were once taken for granted can no longer be managed independently at such times.

In such situations, long-term care insurance ensures that support is organized and paid for. It helps people remain as independent as possible despite needing care.

Security and relief in everyday life

Care often comes with high costs. At the same time, it places an emotional and organizational burden on families. This is exactly where long-term care insurance provides support.

It covers part of the costs and ensures that necessary assistance is available. This relieves family members and provides security. Those affected do not have to deal with the situation alone.

Long-term care insurance does not always cover all costs. However, it significantly reduces the financial burden.

Who pays into long-term care insurance?

Long-term care insurance operates on the principle of solidarity. This means: everyone contributes so that support is available in the event of needing care.

If you work in Germany, your contribution is automatically deducted from your salary. Pensioners also pay contributions.

This creates a system that protects everyone – regardless of whether and when someone needs care.

How is the need for care assessed?

When care becomes necessary, the first step is to submit an application to the long-term care fund. After that, it is determined how much support is needed.

For those with statutory health insurance, this assessment is carried out by the Medical Service. This person examines the individual’s living situation in detail.

The following aspects are evaluated, for example:

• How independent someone still is
• Whether assistance with personal hygiene is required
• How well orientation in daily life functions
• Whether support with household tasks is needed

At the end, a care degree is assigned. There are five care degrees. Care degree 1 means little support is needed, while care degree 5 indicates a very high need for care.

The higher the care degree, the more benefits are available.

Benefits of long-term care insurance

Long-term care insurance offers various types of support. These can be combined depending on the situation.

Care allowance:
If family members or friends provide care, a monthly cash benefit is available.

Care services in kind:
A professional care service comes to the home and takes over tasks such as personal hygiene or medical assistance.

Assistive devices:
For example, care beds, wheelchairs, or other supportive equipment.

Home modifications:
Grants for renovations, such as a barrier-free bathroom or a stair lift.

Short-term care and respite care:
Temporary care when family members need relief or are unavailable.

Inpatient care:
When care at home is no longer possible, long-term care insurance contributes to the costs of a nursing home.

Important: The benefits are fixed. If they are insufficient, those affected or their families must cover part of the costs themselves.

Support for family caregivers

Many people receive care at home from family members. This is often a major challenge.

That is why long-term care insurance offers targeted support:

• Counseling
• Care courses for family members
• Financial benefits
• Services to provide relief in daily life

The goal is to enable family members to provide long-term care without becoming overburdened themselves.

Support and advisory services

You can contact long-term care insurance if you need care yourself. You can also reach out if you are caring for a family member and need support. This could include counseling, financial assistance, or relief in daily life. It does not matter whether the need for care arises suddenly, for example after an accident, or develops gradually. The important thing is to contact them early and submit an application.

Long-term care insurance is closely linked to health insurance, often even part of the health insurance system. It serves as the central point of contact for counseling, applications, and benefits. Those with statutory health insurance are automatically enrolled in the social long-term care insurance.

If you have questions, there are several points of contact available.

You can turn to:

• your long-term care fund
• your health insurance provider
• the consumer advice center