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Gone with the Windfall - Germany‘s Second LTC Strengthening Act and its Intergenerational Implications

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  • Lewe Bahnsen
  • Stefan Fetzer
  • Fabian Franke
  • Christian Hagist

Abstract

Due to the debate about the generosity of LTC insurance benefits the German government decided to increase benefits and widen the circle of LTC beneficiaries with the Second LTC Strengthening Act. In this paper, we evaluate the long-term implications of this recent reform for the German LTC insurance scheme. Using the framework of generational accounting we show that the reform has led to a widening of the short-term gap between revenues and expenditure and that the LTC insurance is not sustainably financed, neither pre- nor post-reform. By the early 2020s there will be fiscal pressure for further reforms. From an intergenerational perspective, the reform can be seen as a windfall to current beneficiaries increasing the intergenerational redistribution through the pay-as-you-go system.

Suggested Citation

  • Lewe Bahnsen & Stefan Fetzer & Fabian Franke & Christian Hagist, 2018. "Gone with the Windfall - Germany‘s Second LTC Strengthening Act and its Intergenerational Implications," WHU Working Paper Series - Economics Group 18-05, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management.
    • Handle: RePEc:whu:wpaper:18-05
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Generational accounting; long-term care insurance; intergenerational distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

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