LTCcovid Country Profiles

Responses to 4.02. Reforms to the Long-term care financing system

Austria

Since 2017 Austrian federal provinces can no longer use assets of people in residential care, (or assets of their relatives, heirs or gift-recipients) to cover the costs of care. In January 2020, a yearly indexation of long-term care cash benefits was established (source: Publications catalogue – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission (europa.eu).

Last updated: September 8th, 2021

Belgium

An EU report (2021) noted that the federated region of Wallonia recently reformed the financing mechanism for residential care facilities and established a regulation for the daily fee.

Last updated: November 23rd, 2021

Czech Republic

In 2019 the personal care allowance for the most dependent groups of beneficiaries (apart from people in residential care) has been increased by 45 % (source: Publications catalogue – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission (europa.eu).

Last updated: September 8th, 2021

France

Following the Segur de la Sante, France has announced a reform plan in response to the COVID-19 crisis?which proposes numerous measures regarding long-term care which include (among other things): establishing a new financing mix for the supply of LTC (e.g. combining healthcare and social care expenditure in residential care to decrease the remaining amount payable by residents); changing the existing financial support system (e.g. a new cash benefit for homecare); and increasing resources to support informal carers. Additionally, the 2020 law on social debt and autonomy created a fifth sector of the National Social Security System, dedicated to the loss of autonomy of older people and people with disabilities, with EUR 1 billion funding. 

The reform plans are largely catching up on long overdue reform rather than a direct response to pandemic experience (source).  

Last updated: October 23rd, 2024   Contributors: Alis Sopadzhiyan  |  

Germany

Expansion of entitlement to LTC benefits

From 2017 the legal entitlement to LTC benefits and the categories of beneficiaries have been extended (particularly to people with dementia) by recognising cognitive and mental capacity as part of the instrument used to assess people’s care level. The assessment encompasses the six areas: mobility, cognitive and communication abilities, behavioural and mental difficulties, self-care, ability to cope and independently manage health or therapy related needs and burden, organising everyday life and social contacts; in addition, the amount of benefits have increased substantially for most through the reorganisation of support entitlements into five care grades. No person already receiving support should have been worse off following the reform.

Co-payments for people living in residential care settings no longer depend on a person’s care grade. All people in living in a nursing now pay the same care-related co-payment (the amount differs between residential homes). In addition, people in full- or part residential care settings receive a legal entitlement for additional offers of care.

Increasing contributions to LTC insurance

As part of this ‘second care strengthening bill’ (zweites Pflegestärkungsgesetz) contribution rates to the mandatory long-term care insurance increased by 0.2 percentage points (to 2.55 per cent for people with children and 2.8 per cent for people without children).

Income cap on co-payments for children of beneficiaries

Children of people with care needs can be exempt from the obligation to cover the cost of care for their parent that is not provided for as part of the LTC insurance. Since 2019 this exemption has been put in place for children of people with care needs earning less than EUR 100,000 (annual gross income) (European Commission, 2021).

Cap on co-payments for people living in residential care settings over longer time periods

In June 2021 a new care reform was passed. The reform seeks to relieve people living in residential care settings for longer periods of time from some of the co-payments. For example, the reform seeks to reduce co-payments of people living in residential care for more than 12 months by 25 per cent (on average €228 per month based on average contributions of €911). This reduction increases with time spent in residential care. For people living in residential care settings for more than 36 months, the reduction will amount to 70 per cent (on average €638 per month based on average contributions of €911).

The reform is planned to be financed by a federal grant (1 billion per year) and an increase in the long-term care insurance of 0.1 per cent for childless people (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, 2021).

Reference

Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (2017) Die Pflegestärkungsgesetze – Das Wichtigste im Überblick. Available at: https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/fileadmin/Dateien/5_Publikationen/Pflege/Broschueren/PSG_Das_Wichtigste_im_Ueberblick.pdf(Accessed 1 February 2022)

European Commission (2021) 2021 Long-term care report – Trends, challenges and opportunities in an ageing society. Country profiles Vol. 2. Available at: Publications catalogue – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission (europa.eu) (Accessed 4 February 2022).

Last updated: February 12th, 2022   Contributors: Klara Lorenz-Dant  |  Thomas Fischer  |  Kerstin Hämel  |  

Malta

The country reinforced homecare by introducing a cash benefit for people employing a fulltime carer (source: Publications catalogue – Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission (europa.eu).

Last updated: September 8th, 2021

Poland

In 2018, Poland implemented a programme that finances care services in rural areas and smaller towns, which are particularly prone to depopulation and ageing due to migration processes. Under the programme, local authorities may be granted a subsidy to enable homecare services.  In 2019 a cash benefit was introduced for adults who are unable to live independently. A definition of ‘inability to live independently’ was established, together with new assessment rules (source: Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion – European Commission).

Last updated: November 24th, 2021

Romania

An EU report noted that in 2020 the country adopted new cost standards for all social services, including residential and homecare services for both public and private service-providers.

Last updated: September 7th, 2021

Slovakia

An EU report (2021) noted that financial contribution from state to social service providers has been significantly increased in Slovakia, which is estimated to have increased the supply of long-term care services and has made these services more affordable.

Last updated: September 7th, 2021

Spain

On January 15^th 2021, a Shock Plan was approved by the Territorial Council of Social Services and the System for Autonomy and Care for Dependency (SAAD). The aim of the Shock Plan is to ensure adequate working conditions for people who work in the SAAD, along with improvements in services and benefits to guarantee adequate care for dependents.

The plan includes a series of objectives and measures regarding the development and management of the SAAD. The issues that are addressed by the plan include the need to carry out an evaluation of the SAAD, the reduction of administrative obstacles, the simplification of the procedures for awarding benefits, the reduction of waiting lists, and the recognition of telecare as a subjective right.

Improving the financing of SAAD is one of the main aims of the Shock Plan, and is achieved by an increase in contributions from the General State Administration (AGE). The two areas that have seen increase are in the minimum levels of protection and the agreed level of protection.

In 2021 and 2022 the funding for both areas increased significantly. The increase in minimum levels of protection have been enshrined in the General State Budgets for the year 2022, and can be seen in the table below:

The agreed levels of protection increased from €283,197,420 in 2021 to €483,197,420 in 2022. In 2021 the overall financing of the SAAD increased by 40.53% to €563 million and is expected to increase significantly in 2022.

Last updated: June 30th, 2022   Contributors: Sara Ulla Díez  |  

England (UK)

On September 7th, 2021, the Prime Minister announced a social care reform plan to cap the costs of social care, with the aim of protecting people against catastrophic costs of care. This is to be funded through a new UK-wide 1.25 per cent Health and Social Care Levy that will be ring-fenced for health and social care, based on National Insurance contributions. This levy will be applied to all working adults, including those over state pension age. Of the £36bn that will be raised through this mechanism, £5.4bn will be for social care (spread over 3 years).

The new cap on social care has been set at £86,000 in care costs over the course of a person’s lifetime (estimates vary but it would take someone in residential care around 4 years to reach the cap and around 6 years for someone receiving home care). So far it seems that the cap will start from October 2023 and that costs up to that point will not be taken into account. The cap will only cover ‘personal care’ costs, such as dressing, washing, and eating, amongst others. Accommodation, food, and other ‘hotel costs’ that are included in care home fees and costs of other forms of social care support (such as activities to enable social participation) will not count towards the cap.

An important measure included in this reform will be an increase to the means-test, changing the ‘floor’ above which individuals are able to access any public funding for social care, which will change from £23,350 to £100,000. People with assets below £20,000 will not be asked to contribute to the costs of their care from their assets.

In summary, people with assets over £100,000 will be ‘self-funders’ until the amount they have spent on ‘eligible care costs’ reaches the cap of £86,000. People with assets between £100,000 and £20,000 will contribute to the costs of their care from their assets and income until they have either reached the cap or have less than £20,000 left in assets and savings. People with assets below £20,000 will only be asked to make contributions from their income. The financing of long-term social care for working-age adults has not been considered. An article by Curry (2021) provides an initial analysis of the changes.

An amendment to the Health and Care Bill has excluded means-tested council support payments from the new £86,000 lifetime limit on costs.

The government published its long-awaited white paper for social care reform on 1st December 2021. In it, it restated its plans to raise additional funding for social care via a health and social care levy (as previously announced on 7th September 2021) and that, beyond the three year spending cycle, there is an intention for a greater share of the revenue to be allocated to social care (at present, only £5.4bn of the total £36bn raised is set to flow to social care in England). The majority of that extra funding will go towards the new cap on costs and the more generous means test. In addition, it is intended to fund fairer fees for providers of social care, better staff training and investment in innovative care models, housing and digital and technological initiatives. On launch, the document was met with scepticism that the funding envelope would be adequate to achieve the vision that it set out (see for example: Adass press release ;  Local Government Association; The Nuffield Trust press release).

References:

Curry, N. (2021). The health and care levy—is social care fixed now? The BMJ Opinion.  Retrieved from: the BMJ Accessed on 28/03/2022

Last updated: March 28th, 2022   Contributors: William Byrd  |  Adelina Comas-Herrera  |  Natasha Curry  |