Andy B’s speech

Only if they pay for it and it costs £££££. You’re looking at around £2k a week which is more than most care homes.

Source? Many people get 24 hour care at home today - are they going to stop that in the future?

No they won’t. If you need 24 hour care the only place to get it is in a care home.

If the accommodation costs are 3k a month, that’s way more than living in your own home. Everyone will default to receiving free personal care in their own homes.

It was a brilliant speech.

I thought the speech was good, too. He’s going to have to deliver it, though.

If you have a massive majority, you can do what you want. If it’s the right thing to do and seemingly popular (according to polls today) then just do it. Start saving those billions now.

He is taking a massive gamble on keeping that majority for the next election. He has 3 years to fail.

No I think people will be writing their wishes down in a more legally binding form in years to come both as regards to their finances and their right to die/live which will be dependent on the jurisdictions they choose. Restricting people’s rights to choose in an increasingly globalised world is not going to work.

Well let’s hope your kids agree with you because the likelihood is that it would be their decision not yours.

From what I have read one of the issues is that people who are not eligible for free care have to pay their care costs plus top up those who don't have to pay for their care. If everyone was given a basic level of care then maybe it would reduce the housing costs for everyone. I wonder if it would be possible to have state paid for care homes run by non profits only like a housing association type system. It would have to be funded properly and I think there should be a flat rate from someone's estate that contributes to this. I'm not sure what, but something like Teresa Mays scheme. I also think housing benefit should also only be paid to HA's and councils. I know that would lead to a 2 tier system but it's either that or people profiteering from state subsidies.

Well @blossomtoes I have 4DC and would be willing to leave for them. If it would help them.
Self funding medical insurance in eg India or Thailand and care may be much cheaper than staying here and paying tax etc - I guess we shall wait and see. It really depends on the individual’s circumstances. Health tourism has become a thing for a reason.

Because people would moan that he doesn't have a mandate to end the triple lock etc.

By the time you need a care home travel to a foreign country is difficult if not impossible and medical insurance would be prohibitive

I fully expect there to be a ceiling. The entire point is to make care less of a rip off. I wouldn’t be prepared to leave the country to save money. I’d sooner swallow the reds.

“I can’t see most people opting for a care home in a foreign country where they don’t speak the language and their family can’t visit them. I wouldn’t.”

@blossomtoes - well if my pension were 150k a year and they were trying to take the entirely of it and I could get a 5 class treatment in Thailand instead and still give my kids 50k or more a year, then yes, I would go to Thailand. For sure, 100 per cent. Especially if the expectation were for me to pay a full whack tax on the 150k pension plus subsidise everyone else in the care home.
The point being there has to be a reasonable ceiling on the hotel costs. You cannot pay tax and be expected to subsidise others on top.

He already seems to be deferring to the next government.
Why not just do for the triple lock next year? Why not just agree to Heathrow 3rd runway?
Why bring in Help to Sell to burden young people with more debt instead of just letting the housing market decline?

I preferred Starmer than this ‘Hope in every postcode’ bollocks.

Maybe it will depend if you choose to stay at an Easy hotel style care home with fast food for £60 a night or a Doubletree style care home with a three course dinner for £400 a night.

I can’t see most people opting for a care home in a foreign country where they don’t speak the language and their family can’t visit them. I wouldn’t.

So living costs/food/utility bills will be payable in a care home. But if they expect me to hand over my entire pension (state plus private) and assuming it is a big one, rather than a more modest or the very basic one, will I get an en-suite and a bigger room or not? Or will I get to choose a care home with more fancy facilities and others in the same position as me? In all likelihood yes, because you cannot expect someone with a 100k pension to be paying the same for a basic room as someone on the 13k state pension. People just won’t do it. Or they will opt out of the state run care homes. So there would still be private care homes or the option to pay for care in a cheaper foreign country ultimately. I think the latter will grow in Asian countries, for example to accommodate the care needs of much of Europe and the US.

Yes. As discussed above.

People don’t live on NHS wards. Care homes are where people live.

Although the NHS doesn’t charge for a hospital stay.

"Fund care". Not "fund accommodation costs". There is a difference.

By keeping the hotel costs within sensible income levels. Care home residents still get their occupational and state pensions.

Many people don’t sell their home before going into care. Moreover, the whole point is that AB doesn’t think people should have to sell their home to fund care. So how is his proposal solving that?