Energy Price Guarantee
Comment published
Dr Sam Royston, the Director of Policy and Research at Marie Curie, responds to the news today that the Energy Price Guarantee will remain at its current level for the next three months:
"Having to keep the heat on higher and longer than average and needing to power specialist medical equipment, means that people living with terminal illness typically use considerably more energy than average. As a result, the price cap freeze will be a relief.
"However, bills remain historically high. Living in a cold home means that some people with terminal illness will die before their doctors predicted. To avoid this happening, we would need to see more targeted energy support announced today to protect dying people.
"Terminally ill people don't automatically qualify for benefits such as the Warm Home Discount. And if you are unlucky enough to become terminally ill in working age you won't receive the Winter Fuel Payment.
"Research, polling, and a petition we've put to this Government shows that dying people need more financial help. The public supports this and it would have been affordable in this Budget. Above all, we want terminally ill people of working age to be entitled to receive the State Pension, which would lift thousands of working age people living with terminal illness out of poverty."