Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday expressed regrets over the passing of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) version of the Long-term Care Services Act (長期照顧服務法), which she said fails to provide a stable source of funding, and might evolve into a superficial and empty law.
“The passing yesterday [Friday] of the Long-term Care Services Act at the legislature should have been something to celebrate. However, since the KMT did not stipulate a source of funding for the act, and also rejected a DPP proposal to create tax revenues from inheritance and gifts, as well as real-estate sales, for policy funding, this law will not provide any change for families,” Tsai said.
“As civic groups said, the Long-term Care Services Act adopted by the KMT caucus is one that is short of funding, superficial, and irresponsible. This is very regrettable,” Tsai wrote on Facebook.
According to estimates, the budget for the long-term care system would begin at NT$30 billion (US$980 million) per year, and would increase to NT$50 billion a year. The KMT version of the legislation would provide a total of NT$12 billion budget over five years, or NT$2.4 billion per year.
That is “extremely ridiculous,” Tsai said.
“President Ma Ying-jeou’s [馬英九] administration claims that the budget would be sufficient to take care of 1 million people, but we calculate the budget can only provide each person with NT$200 a month, which is enough for two hours of home-care service. Is this the best that the government can do for elderly people in this country?” Tsai said.
At the core of the DPP’s long-term care system proposal are sufficient funding, with full-time care, and the government shouldering the responsibility, she said.
“Although the DPP proposal has been blocked by the KMT, we will not give up pushing for a more complete long-term care system through amending the law to make sure that there is a big enough budget to source of funding with legal basis,” Tsai said.
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