Financing and provision of long-term care in Europe

With the rising demand for long-term care states are faced with the challenge of responding to these needs while balancing fiscal contraints. The decisions around how LTC is financed and organized—whether through state systems or family support—carry significant implications for intergenerational equity and social protection.

In this paper, the authors aimed to investigate the extent of upward intergenerational solidarity regarding the financing and provision of care for older adults.

Among some of the key (and encouraging!) findings:

• Younger adults strongly support the state’s responsibility for LTC while acknowledging familial obligations, suggesting the younger generation may be supportive of a sustained role of the state despite implications for hashtag#intergenerationalequity.
• Support for the state’s responsibility is high relative to familial obligations among all age groups and across countries, indicating a universal recognition of LTC as a social risk deserving of coverage under public protection schemes.
• In countries with less generous state support towards LTC, people are more supportive of the family’s role in financing and providing care, which likely speaks to the need for families to fill gaps in social protection. Further research is needed however to unpack and understand the relationship between public attitudes and public policy.

Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/e4NfuMKV