BERLIN, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has put the brakes on unpopular plans to overhaul Germany's nursing care insurance system.
Schroeder's Social Democrats were set to announce their vision for the future of German nursing care insurance Wednesday, but the chancellor announced instead that reform will have to wait.
Schroeder's announcement was preceded by controversy surrounding proposed new fees for doctor visits and unexpectedly poor poll ratings for the Social Democratic Party. It is widely seen as a defeat for Social Minister Ulla Schmidt, who was closely connected with the planned reforms.
At the heart of the controversy, are proposed additional nursing care security fees of approximately 2.50 euros per month to be paid by people without children, but not by parents.
The fees come before a background of invasive reforms in many areas of German social services, many of which have been pushed through by Schroeder and his party.
The decision not to change nursing care insurance rules prompted criticism from the Green Party, Schroeder's coalition partner, and praise from the centrist Free Democratic Party.
