Welfare Effects of Social Care Policies

One challenge presented by population aging is how to adjust public support for social care in a way that achieves desired quality of life outcomes without compromising budget sustainability. This study uses best-practice methods of economic analysis to explore projections for care and related public policy between 2020 and 2070 in the United Kingdom (UK). The UK is an interesting case study, as diverse social care provisions are adopted in the four constituent countries. Projections indicate that the number of people in need of care will approximately double over the prospective half century, with informal carers playing a key role in meeting the growing burden. Policy counterfactuals contrast the budgetary implications of closing the social care gap, particularly in England and Northern Ireland, and of easing poverty among informal carers