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Departmental Publications

Answer

No estimate has been made of the level of personal cost at which paying for costs is fundamentally unfair since this is likely to differ from one individual to another. However, the Government believe that a system which leaves everyone to pay for themselves with no state support—what is called in the Green Paper the "Pay for Yourself" option—would be fundamentally unfair because:"Care would be unaffordable for many people. Many people would not be able to afford the costs of private insurance. For those without insurance, the costs of care can be very high: someone who develops dementia could need 10 years of high-level, skilled care in a residential care home, which could carry a price tag of over£250,000;""This option would have a large negative impact on people on low incomes and with high levels of need, as the group of people who would previously have been eligible for state support and also who are unable to afford the costs of care or insurance themselves; and""Those individuals unable to afford the cost of care would be left without the care they need. This could result in high levels of unmet need in the future, or pressure on friends/families to provide informal care."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

497 c706-7W; 290520

Session

2008-09

Related items

Care and Support (Reform)
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Parliamentary proceedings
House of Commons

Shaping the Future of Care Together - consultation paper.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Command papers
House of Commons

Subjects

Social services

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk