Making disabled people pay for their care costs is “morally unfair”, with one charity urging the government to reconsider its terms on lifetime care expenses.
MPs are preparing to debate the Health and Care Bill, which states there will be a £86,000 threshold on the amount spent on everyone’s care over the course of their lifetime.
While some believe contributions from only the individual should count towards the amount, others want this to be made up of finances both the person and the council puts forward.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation said if the threshold only took the individual’s contributions into account, this could result in disability poverty, with working-aged disabled adults more than twice as likely to live below their means after disability benefits are removed from their wages.
Speaking with the BBC, Baroness Jane Campbell said: “Disabled people will be facing this charge from the age of 18.”
The campaigner, who thinks this will eradicate the opportunity for young people to save money, added it “isn’t a great start in life”.
Chloe Timms, a 33-year-old author and freelance writer with spinal muscular atrophy, explained the more she is able to save, the more she would have to put towards her equipment, such as a wheelchair or mobility bathroom, and her everyday care.
“I couldn’t work without my care, but if I earn more and achieve more, then it’s almost like a penalty,” she stated.
This comes after the Joseph Rowntree Foundation revealed the government’s plans to increase National Insurance contributions means 600,000 people will fall below the poverty line, a quarter of which are children.
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21 April,2022
