WHAT THE PLANS MEAN
• At present, there is no limit on the
amount of money a person may be asked
to pay to fund their care in old age.
Only those who have assets of less than
€23,500 receive their care free.
• Last July, an independent commission
under economist Andrew Dilnot
suggested a cap on the amount an
elderly person will be asked to pay, with
the state stepping in to pay the rest.
• He suggested a lifetime cap of around
€35,000, although he said he would be
happy with it being as high as €50,000.
However, this lifetime cap would pay
only for nursing and personal care, such
as washing and dressing, not accom-
modation costs covering heating and food.
Dilnot suggested a separate annual cap
on these costs of €7,000 to €10,000.
• George Osborne is understood to be
worried about the cost of a €35,000 cap,
which would be about El.7billion a year.
That is why the Coalition is likely to
suggest a higher lifetime cap of €60,000
or even €75,000. For a couple, that would
mean bills of up to €150,000, not including
accommodation costs.
In addition, Dilnot suggested the asset
threshold of €23,500 for free care should
be increased to €100,000.
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