Abstract
The German social security system is heading for a tipping point: without reforms, the total contribution rate for pension, health, nursing care and unemployment insurance will rise above 50 % after 2044. Demographics and rising expenditure threaten the intergenerational contract and the financial basis of the social market economy. The article outlines reform paths for all three central branches: in pension insurance, a higher retirement age, the reinstatement of the sustainability factor and the abandonment of the stop line are necessary. For health insurance, digitalisation, competition and modernised co-payments are proposed. Long-term care insurance requires a moratorium on benefits, more personal responsibility and capital cover. Only decisive reforms can stabilise contribution rates and make social insurance sustainable for the future.