The new Long-Term Care Insurance Program in Germany.

The article describes the new Long-Term Care Insurance Program (LTCI), which has been operational in Germany since 1995, as well as the policy issues leading to its enactment. After discussing similarities and differences with the traditional German social insurance-centered welfare system and some of the major weaknesses of the new program, two issues are discussed in more detail: (1) entitlement criteria and reimbursement rules and the ways they influence the conditions and quality of the professional care delivered; (2) the impact of cash as an alternative choice to services. The descriptive and evaluative sections use existing materials and reports; the second section is based, in addition, on a pilot study by the author, which looks at the reasons why so many people entitled to LTCI choose the cash alternative.