Old-age insurance to meet care costs
Parliamentary report suggests compulsory insurance for all over-50s to help fund their future care needs
OVER-50s living in France could be required to take out compulsory insurance to help pay for their future care needs, a parliamentary report has recommended.
The National Assembly's social affairs committee says the state cannot afford to spend more than the current €22bn a year on elderly people who have lost their autonomy.
The report recommends a compulsory private insurance package, called assurance dépendance, which would go to cover the cost of home help or moving into a care home.
According to Le Monde, some insurers are already offering a similar package, priced between €20 and €30 a month, which pays up to €1,000 a month towards care bills.
UMP member of parliament Valérie Rosso-Debord said: "As of now, public funding is not enough to cover the billions of euros that will need to be spent on elderly people's dependency in the near future."
Other measures suggested in the report include an increase in the CSG - the contribution sociale généralisée, which make up part of employees' social charges bill.
The report also recommends extending the journée de solidarité - the day of the year when workers' salaries go to elderly people's charities - to include companies that are currently exempt.
The proposals will be submitted to the government shortly and discussed after the summer break.
The Connexion publishes a helpguide on care for the elderly in France, priced €5.
