SPD on health and care

The SPD wants a levy on manufacturers of sugary drinks and binding targets for less sugar, salt and fat in food. Stricter rules are to apply to energy drinks, alcohol, disposable e-cigarettes and new nicotine products.

The SPD wants less sugar, salt and fat in food. Companies should pay a levy on sweet drinks. There should be stricter rules for alcohol and nicotine. This is meant to protect children and teenagers above all.

The plan includes tighter regulation, advertising restrictions and age limits for energy drinks, alcohol, disposable e-cigarettes and novel nicotine products. Awareness campaigns and prevention work in schools are meant to increase knowledge of the risks. Binding targets are to be set for sugar, salt and fat content. The levy on sugary drinks would be paid by manufacturers.

The SPD wants to bring statutory and private health insurance together into a single Bürgerversicherung (citizens' insurance) system in which everyone takes part. The aim is equal access to care for all and stable contributions.

Today there is public and private health insurance. The SPD wants one shared system for everyone. It is called citizens' insurance. Everyone should get the same treatment. People who earn more should pay more.

Private insurers would contribute to the risk structure compensation scheme, the financial equalization among health funds, which is to be made fairer. Contributions would be tied more closely to people's ability to pay. Tasks that are not insurance-related would be adequately funded from taxes. Federal civil servants would get a real choice of statutory insurance through a flat-rate subsidy. A uniform, simple payment system for providers is also planned, and the SPD rejects any cuts to benefits.

The SPD wants health funds and the associations of statutory health insurance physicians to guarantee doctor's appointments. People with statutory insurance should get an appointment as quickly as privately insured patients.

Many people wait a long time to see a doctor. The SPD wants an appointment guarantee. People with public insurance should be seen as fast as people with private insurance. If that fails, they should pay lower contributions.

The guarantee would be given by the health funds and the associations of statutory health insurance physicians. If it is not met, insured people would be entitled to reduced contributions. The SPD wants to eliminate differences in waiting times and treatment options between privately and publicly insured patients.

The SPD wants further structural reforms to secure medical care, especially in structurally weak regions. Emergency care and ambulance services are to be strengthened and the barriers between practices and hospitals removed.

The SPD wants good doctors and hospitals everywhere. This matters most in areas with few services. Ambulance services should become stronger. Doctors' practices and hospitals should work together better.

The SPD wants to carry out steps already prepared: ending budget caps for family doctors, making it easier to set up municipal medical care centers, new roles such as advanced practice nurses and community nurses, and better provision of medical aids. Telemedicine and telepharmacy are meant to improve cooperation. The platform favors more regional organization and needs-based planning. Care is to be oriented toward the common good rather than profit.

The SPD wants to strengthen prevention and early detection and to expand the electronic patient record for that purpose. Mental health, care for disadvantaged groups and gender-sensitive medicine are also to receive more attention.

The SPD wants to stop illnesses early. The electronic patient record should help with that. People should get a therapy place faster. Medicine should pay more attention to differences between women and men.

The patient record is meant to show insured people ways to improve their health. A prevention strategy would cover addiction, mental illness and loneliness, with easy-to-reach counseling, including digital services, planned nationwide for young people. Anyone who needs psychotherapy should get a place quickly and face no disadvantage at work. Health kiosks are meant to improve access for vulnerable groups. Research and training in gender- and diversity-sensitive medicine would be promoted, as would care for endometriosis, childbirth and menopause.

The SPD wants to improve supply security for all medicines and bring more production to Germany and Europe. Local pharmacies are to be strengthened as points of contact.

Sometimes medicines are missing. The SPD wants to change that. More medicines should be made in Germany and Europe. Local pharmacies should be strengthened.

The supply-security rules of recent years are to apply quickly to all medicines. Health funds would be allowed, together with national and European partners, to buy larger quantities over longer periods if the products are made here. Pharmacies would take on roles in prevention and in supporting patients during treatment. The SPD also relies on the health industry and research to advance personalized therapies at affordable prices.

The SPD wants a thorough review of how the state handled the COVID-19 pandemic, including through a citizens' assembly. Lessons are to be drawn for future crises.

The SPD wants to look closely at the COVID years. A citizens' assembly should help. That is a group of randomly chosen people. The state should learn from this for new crises.

The review would cover the state's crisis management during the pandemic. A citizens' assembly is one of the planned tools. The goal is better preparation for future events such as another pandemic.

The SPD wants to cap residents' own share of nursing home care costs at 1,000 euros a month. Statutory and private long-term care insurance are to be merged into one jointly financed system so that needing care does not lead to poverty.

Care in a nursing home costs a lot of money. The SPD wants to set a limit. People should pay at most 1,000 euros a month for care themselves. There should also be just one care insurance for everyone.

As a first step, private long-term care insurers would be brought into the risk equalization scheme of all care funds. A corresponding cap is also planned for care at home. People who have lived in a home for some time are not to be left worse off. Homes would no longer be allowed to pass on all of their investment costs to residents. Tax money would be used in moderation, and applying for care assistance would be simplified.

The SPD wants to support family caregivers with family care leave and a family care allowance modeled on Elterngeld (parental allowance). Care at home is to be strengthened because people in need of care want to stay in familiar surroundings as long as possible.

Many people care for relatives at home. The SPD wants to give them more time for this. They should also get money, much like parents get parental allowance. There should be more advice and more day care for people who need care.

The benefits would also cover close persons who provide care without being relatives. Advice, networking and contact points are to be expanded, as are day and night care facilities, and new forms of housing are to be made permanent. Municipalities would get more say over where care homes and services are set up and who runs them. People in need of care and their caregivers would get priority for social housing. Digital products and advisory services are meant to give further support.

The SPD wants to tackle the shortage of skilled staff in health and care with better pay, working hours and wider powers. Needs-based staffing levels are to apply nationwide for all groups of employees.

There are too few skilled workers in care and hospitals. The SPD wants to make these jobs better. There should be good pay and enough staff. Training should be free. Skilled workers from abroad should join too.

The SPD relies on collective agreements and wants to refinance collectively agreed salaries. Nurses would get wider powers, and staff would get more time off, for example through a shorter working week. Among doctors, the focus is on family doctors and pediatricians: more training places and an end to budget caps for family doctors. AI is meant to ease documentation. Skilled workers would be recruited worldwide, and training in the health professions would be free of charge and fairly paid.

The SPD wants to create the conditions for a cannabis legalization that complies with EU law. This is meant to improve health and youth protection and weaken organized crime.

The SPD wants to make cannabis legal. This should fit the rules of the EU. The SPD says this protects health and young people better. Criminal gangs should also earn less this way.

The platform speaks of a drug policy that should be fair and protective. For cannabis, the necessary steps toward a legalization consistent with European law are to be started. The SPD names better protection of health and of young people and the fight against organized crime as goals.