Personal share in nursing homes rises by an average of 256 euros per month

In Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, personal shares rose by just under 300 euros on average, and in Thuringia by around 250 euros. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the personal share for a place in a nursing home increased from 2,752 euros per month to an average of 3,032 euros. Nursing home costs in MV rise by ten percent in one year.

Stationary nursing care is most expensive in Bremen at 3,761 euros per month. In Hesse, nursing care in homes is above-average expensive, the evaluation shows. The reason is increased personnel costs.

Regional differences

Despite the increase, Saxony-Anhalt remains the cheapest federal state in the national comparison at 2,891 euros in the first year of stay. In Saxony, it is 3,152 euros in the first year of stay and 2,404 euros in the third year. The differences between the states are large.

According to the association, the "care-related expenses" in particular recorded the strongest increase – among other things due to higher personnel costs. Accommodation and meals have also become more expensive. In addition, the sums also include payments for accommodation and meals, investments in the facilities, and allocations for training costs.

Relief through subsidies

The longer someone is in a nursing home, the more the nursing care fund's subsidies for pure nursing care kick in. This reduces the burden as the length of stay increases. The personal share for pure nursing care falls by 15 percent in the first year, by 30 percent in the second, by 50 percent in the third, and by 75 percent from the fourth year onwards. The amounts include a personal share only for pure nursing care and assistance. Because long-term care insurance, unlike health insurance, only covers part of the costs.

Even with the highest subsidy, however, the total burden in Hesse from the fourth year onwards now rose to an average of 2,091 euros. That was 175 euros more than as of 1 July 2025. The share that nursing home residents must pay themselves has also continued to rise in Hesse.

Demands for relief

The head of the Association of Substitute Health Insurance Funds, Ulrike Elsner, demanded with a view to the planned care reform that the rise in costs be limited. "It cannot be that better pay for nursing staff places an ever-greater burden on those in need of care." For nursing care costs, in addition to the subsidies from long-term care insurance, personal shares must also be raised, which vary depending on the federal state.

For years now, patient advocates and social associations have been demanding relief from ever-higher co-payments. Board member Eugen Brysch said that the approximately 48,600 nursing home residents in Saxony are up to their necks in water. "Allein in den vergangenen zwei Jahren seien die Eigenanteile in den ersten zwölf Monaten nach Heimeinzug trotz gestiegener Zuschüsse um rund 18 Prozent in die Höhe geschossen."

For Saxony, the German Patient Protection Foundation has called on the state government to fully cover training and investment costs. "Die komplette Kostenübernahme würde die stationären Pflegekosten im Freistaat um monatlich 709 Euro senken", so Brysch. "Die Staatsregierung sei gefordert, sich nicht länger vor ihrer Verantwortung zu drücken." The federal states are responsible for investment costs.

Federal Health Minister Nina Warken is considering, among other things, savings on the relief subsidies from long-term care funds. These are to take effect half a year later. In addition, the general requirement for collective bargaining pay for nursing staff is to be suspended for four years from the beginning of 2027. Relatives who have an annual gross income of more than 100,000 euros have so far had to contribute to financing. The coalition is currently discussing the regulation.