Care Reform Delayed to September

Germany’s long-awaited care reform has slipped again. The Pflegeneuordnungsgesetz (PNOG), the law meant to overhaul how the country pays for long-term care, was supposed to reach the federal cabinet on 29 July 2026. That slot was overtaken by a government reshuffle, and the bill is now targeted for the cabinet meeting on 2 September 2026. For families in Germany who care for an ageing or ill relative, the practical message is simple: nothing changes for now, and the current rules on care benefits stay in place through the summer.

Why the Care Reform Missed Its July Slot

The PNOG had already been pushed from spring into July before the latest delay. The July date fell away when the coalition reorganised its ministers. Nina Warken left the Health Ministry to move into the Chancellery, and Carsten Linnemann was sworn in as the new Federal Health Minister on 29 July 2026. We covered that change in detail in our report on the Merz cabinet reshuffle, and this article looks only at what the shuffle means for the care law itself.

A new minister arriving days before a planned cabinet decision made it almost impossible to keep the original timetable. Linnemann inherited a draft written under his predecessor, and care associations have made clear they expect him to review and substantially rework it before it goes any further. That review is the main reason the care reform now sits on the September agenda rather than the July one.

What the New Timetable Looks Like

According to the trade publication Altenheim, the PNOG is now pencilled in for the cabinet meeting on 2 September 2026, with parliamentary proceedings expected to begin on 10 September, straight after the summer recess. Those dates are firm only on paper. Industry bodies such as the VDAB have urged the government to hold to them so the reform is not delayed a further time, while other groups have warned against rushing changes that still need work.

The timetable also carries a clear condition. Several associations say they will support the September slot only if Linnemann fundamentally revises the draft, in particular the parts dealing with collective wage rules and with limits on counselling visits and relief services. In other words, the September date depends on political agreement that does not yet exist, and a further slip cannot be ruled out.

What the Draft Would Change

The draft PNOG is not a minor update. It contains a restructuring of the Pflegegeld, the cash care allowance paid to people who are looked after at home rather than in an institution, and it points toward higher contributions to the statutory care insurance. It also proposes simpler care budgets and combined support services, ideas that some health insurers have praised and asked the government not to water down.

The backdrop is money. Germany’s social care insurance, the Pflegeversicherung, is running a deficit widely reported at around 4.2 billion euros for 2026. That gap is the engine behind the whole reform, because the system needs either more income through contributions or lower spending to stay solvent. The politically difficult part is that almost every option touches households directly, which is one reason the law has proved so hard to finalise.

The care insurance is funded through payroll contributions shared between employees and employers, with a surcharge for people without children. Any increase in the contribution rate would therefore show up on payslips across the country, which is why the government has moved cautiously. At the same time, the number of people needing care keeps rising as the population ages, so the pressure on the system is structural rather than temporary, and it will not ease on its own.

What This Means for Expat Families With Care Needs

For now, the status quo holds. Because the care reform has not passed the cabinet, there are no imminent changes to the Pflegegeld or to care insurance contributions. Families already receiving a care allowance will keep receiving it under the current rules, and the contribution rate on your payslip does not change because of this bill. If you are planning care for a parent or partner over the coming weeks, you can base that planning on today’s figures.

It is still worth following the September debate closely, especially if you rely on the cash care allowance or on home counselling visits, since both are areas the draft would touch. The wider strain on the system is real, as our report on record nursing home costs shows, and higher contributions remain likely at some future point. The reform has been delayed, not cancelled, so the sensible approach is to treat the current rules as stable this summer while keeping an eye on what the new minister brings to cabinet in September.