Catholic Health Australia calls for nursing home bonds
Catholic Health Australia (CHA), which oversees 550 aged care facilities, said the government must now act on the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission (NHHRC) report’s recommendation to expand the aged care’s “bond” system.
Since 1997, elderly Australians classed as low-care can be asked to pay a bond ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 on entering an aged care facility. It is a voluntary payment based on a person’s ability to pay, and up to 95% of the bond is refunded to the person’s family on their death.
“The commission has said that bonds need to be available in high-care as well because aged care is unviable into the future unless we make these changes,” CHA chief executive, Martin Laverty, says.
“This is news the government perhaps won’t want to hear, but it is news we’ve been giving the government for several months now.”
