Today's proposal for a public funded-private sector operated long-term care (LTC) insurance by think tank Strategic Society Centre is to be commended and condemned.
Although it does have many weaknesses, it is at least a step in the right direction and suggestions from the group that some life insurers are already on-board with such a scheme is encouraging.
And, as Partnership's Chris Horlick points out, it would be new money coming into the system.
It would also provide a significant assistance to those who only require care within their own home.
This is both the most cost-effective option to providing social care and usually the preferred - avoiding the upheaval to the patient of moving to a new home and the distractions of dealing with the after-effects for family and friends.
So any extra funding that encourages or enables more people to remain in their own homes should be welcomed.
However, the fears surrounding it are significant and would need to be directly addressed by both government and insurers for it to be successfully implemented.
The annual sum available through such a scheme would total around £7,500 per year.
With Laing & Buisson calculating the average cost of a care home place being around £35,000 per year in 2010 (and this will surely rise further with inflation) it would still mean those requiring the most serious care could remain trapped between local authorities and the NHS if they have insufficient funds themselves.
While those who do have savings or capital, usually in the form of their home, would still need to fund their residential care, whether directly or through a LTC product.
This key point would have to be made clear to everyone when commencing contributions and also at periodic stages to ensure it is understood that this does not provide sufficient support for residential care.
A sign-post to qualified advice, possibly the Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA), at such a point would be most appropriate but, I fear, unlikely.
If it is intended to be compulsory, the thought of a new tax to impose may not be welcomed with open arms by either the current administration or the public.
And the dilemma of what to do with those already retired and accessing their pension funds remains unsolved.
Perhaps the Dilnot Commission, which is due to report in July, will provide some answers to this problem.
