Friday 13 July 2012

Andrew Lansley: elderly will be able to opt in to social care insurance scheme

Elderly people will be able to voluntarily opt into a government social insurance scheme – paying premiums to the state to ensure their costs for care and accommodation would be capped – the health secretary has announced.

The government says it will consider a "voluntary scheme" allowing people to "individually make the choice to be protected by a capped cost scheme". Sources say the taxpayer would have to bear the one-in-10 risk of "catastrophic" costs of above £100,000.

The scheme emulates but undermines the Dilnot report, which called for a system for the elderly whereby the total cost of care would be capped at £35,000 with support for old people extended to those with assets of £100,000, up from the current limit of £23,250. So-called "hotel costs" – to pay for food and beds in residential homes – would be limited to £7,000-£10,000.

Full Article on Guardian Society

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