Nursing Home Subsidies

CONTENTS

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Signing Page, Contents, Abbreviations, Glossary, Summary

1 Introduction
1.1 Background to the reference
1.2 Terms of reference
1.3 Scope of the inquiry
1.4 Consultation
1.5 Report structure

2 Overview of the residential aged care sector
2.1 Aged care environment
2.2 Supply of residential care services
2.3 Demand for residential aged care

3 Funding and regulatory arrangements
3.1 Subsidies
3.2 Residents fees and payments
3.3 Controls over bed numbers
3.4 Specified care and services
3.5 Quality of care

4 Assessment criteria and implications
4.1 Criteria
4.2 Implications for funding methodology
4.3 Implications for coalescence

5 Nursing home costs and their determinants
5.1 Factors influencing unit costs
5.2 Developing a basis for comparing costs
5.3 Cost comparisons
5.4 Wage trends and productivity
5.5 Relationship between standardised costs and current subsidies
5.6 Conclusion

6 Should coalescence proceed?
6.1 The merits of a uniform basic subsidy
6.2 Should the announced coalescence arrangements proceed?

7 An alternative uniform regime
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The benchmark standard of care
7.3 Relating subsidies to the care needs of individual residents
7.4 Indexation of basic subsidy rates
7.5 Supplements and deductions
7.6 separate special needs funding pool
7.7 Acquittal of subsidy
7.8 Providing subsidy to providers or residents
7.9 Extra service arrangements and other subsidy related issues
7.10 Administration and transparency
7.11 Implementation issues

8 Some longer term options
8.1 Income and asset tested resident charges
8.2 Alternative funding models
8.3 Facilitating access, choice and quality care

APPENDICES

A Terms of reference

B Participation in the inquiry

C Overseas developments

D Illustrating coalescence

References