Dependency insurance in Belgium

In this paper we analyze the system of long-term care insurance currently in place in Belgium or rather in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of the country), since the French and German-speaking parts have not yet such insurance. More precisely, we review the scope, benefits, financing and functioning of the Flemish dependency insurance (called the Vlaamse Zorgverzekering) and present some statistics regarding the number of persons affiliated to the Vlaamse Zorgverzekering, the number and percentage of approved applications, the grants awarded by the Government of Flanders and the revenue and expenditure/costs relating to the Flemish dependency insurance system in order to comprehend the key factors explaining some evolution related to the dependency in Belgium. Analyses show that the adjustments and successive changes that the dependency insurance has undergone are explained by its success in terms of claims for benefits. We also find that the problem of equity and adverse selection favorable to the inhabitants of Brussels at the expense of the Flemish people is reduced owing to the different treatments for the two regions.Long-term care; Old age assistance; Subsidies; Revenue and Expenditures for health

LONG-TERM CARE: REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN BELGIUM

In this paper we analyze the problem of population ageing in terms of non-medical care needs of persons who are dependent or have lost their autonomy, in order to provide the various public and private administrations active in these fields with some food for thought. The anticipated increase in dependency poses significant challenges in terms of needs evolution and financing. Using administrative data on the Belgian population to build indicators on the prevalence of dependency at home in the three regions in 2001, we find that the likelihood of a sustained increase in the Flemish prevalence rates ultimately amplifies the magnitude of the financing problems that the Flemish dependency insurance scheme has experienced since its first years of operation. Results also show that the smaller increases or the decreases (according to the scenario selected) expected in Wallonia and Brussels are likely to mitigate concern about the sustainability of any long-term care insurance in Wallonia and therefore to facilitate its eventual introductionlong-term care, old age assistance, demographic changes, regional inequalities, projection