According to forecasts, in 2050, France will have 4.6 million people aged over 85, three times more than the current figure. Among them, 2.2 million will be “in loss of autonomy”, one million more than in 2015.
The question arises: how to finance the dependency of seniors? This Thursday, March 28, 2019, Dominique Libault, the president of the High Council for the financing of social protection, presented a report to the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn to (try) to answer this thorny question…
First info: at present, the public authorities spend 23.5 billion euros each year to take care of dependency, out of a total bill of 30 billion euros per year (the rest being paid by families) . From 2050, the experts estimate that it will be necessary to spend 35% more each year, which corresponds to an increase in the budget of approximately 9 billion per year.
No tax hike, no extra working day
Where to find an additional 9 billion euros each year? Good news: the Minister of Health has opposed a tax increase, while the Libault report rules out the possibility of an additional working day in the year. Experts from the High Council for the Financing of Social Protection are leaning towards another solution: extending the contribution to the repayment of social debt (CRDS), a tax deducted at source so far planned to stop in 2024.
The Libault report also proposes to reduce the bill for French people living in Ehpad (accommodation establishment for dependent elderly people). The “residual charge” for families would be reduced to 300 euros per month for residents whose resources are between 1,000 and 1,600 euros per month.
The Minister of Health plans to propose a bill dedicated to the issue of addiction by the fall of 2019.
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