[Medical treatment and rehabilitation measures for the elderly--discussion of the financial problems involved (author's transl)].
The National Pension Insurance and Health Insurance Schemes up to now share the expenses of health insurance for the elderly. The shares to be carried by each body are again and again subject to political discussion. Since nursing home care is up to now not accepted as being an integral part of health care, the social welfare system is forced to cover the expenses involved to a continuously increasing degree. While it can be shown, that health insurance for the elderly has greatly improved since its introduction in 1941, there nevertheless remain elements of discrimination of those no longer belonging to the age group with access to gainful employment. Discussing different measures of solution in the context of existing insurance systems, the National Pension Insurance would seem to be the body best suited to take over the whole responsibility of financing health insurance measures for the elderly. Another alternative would be to let the pensioneers themselves come up for the costs of their health insurance, or the decision may be taken to establish a new insurance system directed at covering the risks of long term illness for all age groups.
[Medical treatment and rehabilitation measures for the elderly--discussion of the financial problems involved (author's transl)]. The National Pension Insurance and Health Insurance Schemes up to now share the expenses of health insurance for the elderly. The shares to be carried by each body are again and again subject to political discussion. Since nursing home care is up to now not accepted as being an integral part of health care, the social welfare system is forced to cover the expenses involved to a continuously increasing degree. While it can be shown, that health insurance for the elderly has greatly improved since its introduction in 1941, there nevertheless remain elements of discrimination of those no longer belonging to the age group with access to gainful employment. Discussing different measures of solution in the context of existing insurance systems, the National Pension Insurance would seem to be the body best suited to take over the whole responsibility of financing health insurance measures for the elderly. Another alternative would be to let the pensioneers themselves come up for the costs of their health insurance, or the decision may be taken to establish a new insurance system directed at covering the risks of long term illness for all age groups.