The CDU economic council has proposed tax cuts and reductions in social benefits in its "Agenda for Workers," including removing dental coverage from health insurance. The plans face sharp criticism from politicians and associations, who label them unsocial and harmful to creating a two-tier medical system. Even within the CDU, there is discontent.
The CDU economic council, an association close to business, published a paper titled "Agenda for Workers" on Sunday. It calls for significant tax cuts for employees and limits on social contributions by abolishing various benefits. Specifically, dental treatments should no longer be covered by statutory health insurance, as they "can generally be well covered privately" and "should no longer burden contributors in the pay-as-you-go system." Additionally, it demands reducing unemployment benefits to one year, abolishing the mother's pension and retirement at 63. The goal is to prevent rising social contributions and relieve workers overall "significantly."
The proposals have sparked widespread criticism. Bernd Rützel (SPD), chairman of the Bundestag committee on labor and social affairs, called them a "slap in the face to 90 percent of Germans" and advised the CDU to "quickly forget such proposals." Janosch Dahmen (Greens) described excluding dental services as "medically wrong, socially highly dangerous, and economically shortsighted." Dental health is no luxury but a prerequisite for general health; saving here would lead to higher follow-up costs like heart attacks or infections. Tooth status already marks social inequality.
Left party leader Ines Schwerdtner called it a "frontal attack on 90 percent of people in this country." Working families would have to choose between a dental filling and lunch for the kids. Fabio De Masi (BSW) warned that lack of reimbursement would cause follow-up costs and weaken purchasing power.
The German Social Association (SoVD) deemed the ideas "unsocial and disturbing." Chairwoman Michaela Engelmeier feared it would exacerbate the two-class medical system: "The wealthy would then have nice teeth, the needy even more gaps."
Even within the CDU, there is opposition. CDA leader Dennis Radtke criticized: "Here a group of super-privileged is telling other people what they should forgo." He warned of voter-repelling debates that unload everything onto employees. The dispute could shape the CDU party congress in Stuttgart on February 20 and 21.
