Care tax for over 40's - what do you think?

The Treasury is considering taxing the over 40's to cover the cost of social care.

On the face of it, I think this is a good idea, as currently those who save for old age are penalised if they need social care, as means testing takes all of their savings, including the value of their home. What do you think of the idea? It looks as though the alternative would be some sort of private insurance, which (although the detail isn't clear at this stage) could muddy the waters a bit - would it result in another 2 tier system, with the privately insured getting a better standard of care?

The main thing that concerns me, though, is that older people - and particularly those who are no longer in employment - aren't going to be able to contribute a lot. In my own case, for instance, I am having to wait an extra 7 years for my State Pension, so am already living on savings and an occupational pension that is just above the tax threshold. Under the scheme, I could pay 1.5% of a little bit of money, but it is unlikely to come close to the cost of care, should I need it. When the State Pension kicks in that would change a bit, as obviously the taxable amount of my income would go up, but as the UK pension is so low it will still be a small amount compared to the cost of care.

I worry that as a lot of people will be in the same position the scheme will only apply to regular earners, or will exclude the over 50's, and we will still have to sell our homes to cover care if we need it. Obviously, we need to wait to see the small print before we can be sure of anything, but does anyone have any initial thoughts?