Long-Term Care Financing in Central Eastern Europe

Abstract

The Central Eastern European (CEE) region is no exception to the major challenges European countries are facing in the field of long-term care (LTC). Ageing societies and growing LTC needs, changes in the socio-economic context and their consequences for traditional modes of caregiving will further increase the pressure for ensuring sustainable funding for more comprehensive LTC systems. In the past two decades, LTC has become increasingly recognized as a social risk that will need substantial investment in publicly (co-)funded infrastructure and service provision. And many European countries have seen important reform steps in this respect. But tight budgets and forecasted large increases in public LTC expenditure have often limited the magnitude of reforms or have hindered the development and implementation of appropriate policies. CEE countries share the aforementioned challenges, but the status quo of the LTC systems is quite different in this region. Current levels of social protection beyond family or other informal networks and beyond social assistance are far less developed than in other parts of Europe.