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Ministers Look At Social Care Insurance As Costs Rise |
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News -
News England
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Written by The Guardian
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Tuesday, 13 May 2008 |
People may have to pay into a compulsory social insurance scheme to contribute towards the costs of care in old age under proposals floated by the government yesterday.
The health secretary, Alan Johnson, said he would produce a green paper early next year on dealing with the long-term problem of providing adequate non-medical care for a growing number of vulnerable older people.
Over the next 20 years the number of people over 85 in England will double and the number over 100 will quadruple. Nearly 2 million more people will need social care support including help with dressing, washing, shopping and eating.
Johnson said he wanted a national debate on how much the government, individuals and families should pay towards meeting the social care bill, which is expected to rise from £12.7bn last year to £24.1bn in 2026 and £40.9bn in 2041.
He said people wanted to be confident that they would get adequate support without having to sell the house for which they had "scrimped and saved" throughout a working life. But the system of free personal care that was introduced in Scotland had been found to be unaffordable.
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