The Aged Care System is headed for a humongous change this 1 November. Home Care Packages will soon be under Support at Home. This is not merely a change in name but rather how Home Care Packages will be dealt with according to new laws. Residential aged care homes will also be seeing changes in terms of fees structures as well as operations.
Although the government has given ample time and support for the transition from Home Care Packages to Support at Home, some are still experiencing confusion, including the “no worse off principle” for participants that are under the Home Care Package. This principle will ensure that those who are receiving services should not pay more money than they already are. However, the trouble with this is that it’s possible that some service providers might increase their fees, which means recipients may have reduced services.
A good thing is that those who are unhappy with their packages may be reassessed, and possibly, they may be able to get more services. What’s more, should the changes after November make you unhappy with your provider, you may change them without paying either an entry or exit fee.
Once the transition in November is completed and you are already a Support at Home participant, there’s no need to make contributions for clinical care as the government will be paying this cost in full. Learn more about the changes in the New Aged Care Act from www.health.gov.au.