Only this very morning, I managed to catch a conversation between a newsreader and government minister about the fact that there will have to be increases in the cost of health provision to the elderly in the future. As our population continues to age and people are living for longer than ever before, this is a fact that we will not be able to run away from over the coming decades.
But at what cost is the population aging? This is the big question, as more and more people are having to rely upon live in care or residential nursing, it is doubtful whether everyone will enjoy the best end to their life and therefore they will need to seriously consider how they would fund such healthcare if they ever needed it.
At present, the government are trying to assert that only the rich will have to pay for long-term healthcare if they need it. However, this has actually proven to be somewhat of a postcode lottery, thus far. It has tended to depend on your Local Health Authority as to whether or not you are eligible to contribute towards the cost of healthcare; and indeed, the amount you will have to pay.
One thing is definite, and there is no point in burying your head in the sand over this issue, if you do require long-term healthcare in your latter years, you are almost certainly going to have to pay for it yourself.
The older population right now have the best of things! They were able to retire earlier that we will be able to; most have all healthcare costs paid for them - especially when they are on lower incomes; and the state pension has been easy for them to acquire: these are all points that will be far more doubtful when it comes to our turn.