Health and long-term care insurance

Members of the Bundestag are able to choose between statutory and private health and long-term care insurance. About 40% of Members belong to the statutory health-insurance scheme. In their case the Bundestag, like any employer, pays half of their monthly insurance contribution. These Members are directly affected by cuts in the benefits provided by the statutory health and long-term care insurance schemes. The other Members have taken out private health and long-term care insurance policies, for which they pay their own contributions. These contributions, however, cover only part of the risk. The remainder is met by means of an allowance based on the supplementary cover granted to civil servants. Members of the Bundestag, however, are also vulnerable to changes in the law governing this supplementary allowance, since reforms relating to the statutory welfare schemes are now automatically applied to civil servants too and therefore have the same impact on Members of the Bundestag.