Related Experiment Videos
Funding long term care for elderly people
1Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Medical School, Dunedin.
The New Zealand Medical Journal
|May 24, 1995
Summary
Public health systems should be universally accessible, regardless of age or ability to pay. Asset testing for elderly long-term care is discriminatory; charges should be income-based and equitable across all age groups.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy
- Public Health
- Gerontology
Background:
- Current public health policies unfairly target elderly individuals in long-term care through asset-based testing.
- Existing systems create inequities by charging only the elderly for public hospital inpatient care based on assets, not income.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for a universally accessible public health system.
- To advocate for equitable charging mechanisms based on income, not assets, for all individuals.
- To challenge age-based discrimination in healthcare funding.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of existing public health funding models.
- Ethical and economic evaluation of asset testing versus income testing for healthcare charges.
- Comparative assessment of charging policies across different age groups and care types.
Main Results:
- Asset testing for elderly long-term care is discriminatory and inequitable.
- A universal public health system requires charges to be independent of a person's ability to pay.
- Income-based charges for medical and nursing costs are more equitable than asset-based testing.
Conclusions:
- Public health funding should prioritize universal access and equity.
- Charges for long-term care should cover living and accommodation, with medical costs determined by income.
- If direct charges for inpatient care are necessary, they should apply equitably to all ages and care types (acute and long-term) without hindering access to necessary treatment.