How to mitigate incentives for poverty trade-off in Egypt's ageing population under the new bill for older people care rights using means tested benefit cost sharing framework?

Abstract

Purpose – Many countries around the world are facing great challenges from their ageing population with shrinking workforce, this will put more pressure on their financial system and will increase the public spending on care costs provided to older people. Egypt is in the phase of establishing a new law for older people care's rights, a law that will organise how older people in need for care would benefit from access to government financial support and how will families support their older relatives financially and how the care costs will be shared between the older people, their families and the government. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the suitability two cost-sharing methods and applying them to assess the effect on the individuals and families' income strain. Findings – The preferred approach can be used for sharing costs as it applies a gradual funding withdrawal by the government and provide more fairness and flexibility for application in different regions. Besides, the parameters of this approach can be used by policy makers to control the levels of funding. Originality/value – The paper will be the first to discuss the intergenerational fairness from a financial perspective in Egypt to avoid forcing older people into poverty or resorting to poverty trade-off.

Keywords

• Cost-sharing
• Government financial support
• Income strain
• Means-tested benefits
• Older people care rights
• Poverty trade-off