Labour criticises nursing home Bill to help fund long-term care

NURSING HOME legislation to help fund long-term care is "wrong and unfair" because it "involves a redistribution of wealth from the less well-off to the better-off," the Dáil has heard.

Joanna Tuffy (Labour, Dublin Mid-West) said the Bill "privatises nursing home care and discriminates against older people".

The Labour TD was speaking during the ongoing debate on the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Bill, which provides for upfront funding by the State of nursing home care, with a payment of up to 80 per cent of a State pension and some assets by patients, while up to 15 per cent of the value of their estate is recouped after their death.

"The better-off will pay less under the scheme while those who are less well-off have to pay more," Ms Tuffy said. She referred to examples Minister for Health Mary Harney provided, in "before and after" scenarios, two years ago.

"One example is of a 'Mrs Fitz-gerald', who pays a maximum of €120 per week towards the cost of her care, and under the new scheme as a new entrant to a nursing home she would pay a combination of €145.60 and a deferred contribution of €157.69, which is more than €300 per week. She would pay almost €200 more per month under the proposed scheme than she was paying previously."

Chris Andrews (FF, Dublin South-East) said that "Fianna Fáil and the Government in many ways have acted as the trade union for older people. This legislation will reinforce such a view."

Arthur Morgan (SF, Louth) said his party "cannot support this Bill" because it moved "from universal entitlement and is not rights-based or comprehensive in providing the wide range of care older people require".

Denis Naughten (FG, Roscommon-South Leitrim) described major discrepancies in the HSE's care of the elderly. "In Athlone, a white line in the middle of a road marks the county and provincial boundaries and the boundary between HSE, western area, and HSE, Dublin-north Leinster area. The eligibility for an enhanced subvention differs, depending on what side of the white line one lives on."