Labour has proposed a long-term care funding strategy whereby everybody will pay a compulsory charge, rather than just those needing care.
Andy Burnham, shadow health secretary, in a speech to The King's Fund, proposed an "all-in" system to create a level playing field on how care was provided.
He said: "Andrew Dilnot's proposed cap and means-test would help everyone protect their savings. It would mean people only pay as much as they need to, but, in the worst case scenario, could stand to lose a significant chunk of their savings.
"One of the problems with the voluntary approach is it assumes the continuation of two care worlds - one charged for, the other one free-at-the-point-of-use - with all its complexity. So it is right to ask whether we can move to an all-in system."
But he added a "major downside" of the all-in approach was all people would be required to contribute, rather than just those needing care.
"People's exposure to care costs in an all-in system would be significantly lower. But, as with any insurance system, people might pay and never end up using the service," he said.
He said the coalition's vision of a cap more than the Dilnot-proposed limit of £50,000 was better than the status quo but "not a fair solution".
