Concerns are deepening over funding for long-term care, despite the Legislative Yuan’s passage of the highly anticipated Long-term Care Services Act (長期照護服務法) in May, a social welfare alliance said yesterday.
The Universal Care Policy Alliance said that even though Taiwan now has the legislation in place, the central government’s financial resources are limited, so people in need are still unlikely to receive sufficient and necessary assistance.
The alliance brings together several smaller social welfare groups, such as the Federation for the Welfare of the Elderly, Taiwan Women’s Link and the Awakening Foundation.
On May 15, legislators passed the act, which aims to assist about 760,000 people with disabilities and their families.
Under the act, “long-term disability” refers to people who have been disabled for six months or who are expected to remain disabled for more than six months and is based on the needs of the caretakers to provide support, assistance and medical services.
The Cabinet approved a long-term care insurance bill early last month with the aim of funding the nation’s long-term care system. The bill is to be sent to the Legislative Yuan for review and the government expects the new insurance to take effect in 2020.
Ministry of Health and Welfare Department of Nursing and Health Services Development Director Teng Su-wen (鄧素文) said that the government needs more than NT$12 billion (US$385.6 million) over the next five years to fund the legislation.
Government sources said the anticipated expenses are expected to be funded by the government’s budget, tobacco product surcharges and donations.
However, the alliance has little faith in the funding program, saying that under such unfavorable circumstances, long-term care is unlikely to benefit anyone who is hungry for help.
The alliance is also worried that due to the limited funding, people with disabilities will suffer a lack of care from their communities.
The alliance said Germany, which began long-term care services in 1995, has encountered a financial bottleneck, because the social welfare system has become very expensive.
The alliance said that Taiwan is likely to fall into a funding trap due to the costs of long-term care and insurance for it, adding that the ultimate victims could be disabled people and their families.
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