From 2014 to 2019, I participated in an OECD project that provided the first international analysis and comparison of social protection levels for long-term care (LTC) across 14 OECD and EU countries. Long-term care means care for older people – in a nursing home or at home – or for people that need care for a long time, because they have a disability. The project examined five distinct scenarios, each representing different LTC needs and services, with the goal of quantifying several key factors: the cost of care, the extent of coverage provided by social protection systems, out-of-pocket expenses for individuals, and whether these costs are affordable.
The findings highlighted significant variation in LTC costs across countries. However, a consistent trend emerged: LTC expenses are consistently high relative to average incomes, making long-term care unaffordable in many cases without social protection.
[Link to the overall report]
Fred Lafeber 