Warken demands fewer building regulations for care homes and defends cuts to subsidies

Background: Warken's criticism of building regulations

In parallel, Warken defended planned cuts to subsidies for care home residents. According to a draft from the ministry, the higher relief levels are to take effect six months later in the future. "Wir schaffen diesen Zuschlag nicht ab, können die höheren Zuschüsse aber jeweils erst etwas später gewähren," Warken explained. The supplements are graduated according to length of stay in the care home and are intended to relieve residents from continuously rising personal contributions.

With more than seven billion euros, these subsidies from the long-term care insurance funds had doubled between 2022 and 2025, Warken said, justifying the step. This is to relieve the long-term care insurance funds by 2.6 billion euros in the coming year. The measure is part of a planned legislative package to cover a billion-euro deficit in 2027 and to avoid higher contributions. The long-term care insurance would still contribute significantly more to care costs after the change than it had before 2022, the minister emphasized.

Planned cuts to relief supplements

Warken also acknowledged that the planned cuts would not be without consequences. "Natürlich könne es Auswirkungen geben, wenn Zuschläge nicht mehr so wie bislang gewährt werden," she said. According to the draft, states and municipalities will face additional expenditure of one billion euros for social assistance (help with care) next year. The German Association of Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) had already criticized the plans because they place an additional burden on municipalities.

The minister also pointed to relief elsewhere. "In Summe dürften die Entlastungen die befürchteten Mehrbelastungen zudem perspektivisch ausgleichen," Warken said. Specifically, she cited the planned annual indexation of benefits as well as a stronger prevention approach to avoid or delay the need for care: "Aber wir entlasten an anderer Stelle und schaffen Planungssicherheit – zum Beispiel, indem die Leistungen künftig jährlich dynamisiert werden und wir Pflegebedürftigkeit durch einen deutlich stärkeren Präventionsansatz vermeiden und verzögern."

Criticism from the Städtetag and outlook

Warken described it as a problem that too much in the care sector is regulated on a mandatory basis and too little flexibly: "Es sei zu viel verpflichtend und zu wenig flexibel." With a view to the federal states, she called for existing leeway in building law to be used in favor of cheaper care places. The report on Warken's statements was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on June 13, 2026.

The debate comes at a time of growing financial strain on the statutory long-term care insurance. While expenditure on subsidies for care home residents has risen sharply since 2022, the federal government is looking for ways to stabilize the system without immediate contribution increases. The proposals from Warken's ministry are meeting with differing interests: long-term care insurance funds and the federal government hope for savings, while states and municipalities fear rising social spending.