CHANGES IN LONG-TERM CARE INSURANCE SYSTEM IN GERMANY - MAIN GOALS AND PRECONDITIONS (Reforma spolecznego ubezpieczenia pielegnacyjnego w Niemczech - glowne cele i uwarunkowania)

The law on Long-Time Care Insurance, which is in force since 1995, was in 2008 subjected to a thorough revision. As a result, the catalog of the financial benefits has been extended and the amount of part of these benefits was raised. These changes are intended to adjust the benefits to the actual needs of dependent people. Furthermore, more attention is paid to ensuring the quality of benefits. For this aim, the scope of the audit by the care insurance fund has been extended. One of the effects of the availability of nursing services is the fact that pace of transition of the nursed people in the higher groups of dependency has been slowed down. This fact favors the reduction of expenditures of the insurances, which in recent years are forced to cover the accumulated deficit from the earlier provisions. There is no change in financing of the Long-Term Care Insurance.