Long-Term Care

Money Follows the Person (MFP) federal grants are provided to states in order to assist older adults and people with disabilities in transitioning from nursing facilities to home and community based settings. A history and current state of MFP are offered. This report provides an overview of how MFP has helped states to rebalance their LTSS programs and provides next steps and an outlook for the future of MFP or similar programs once the demonstration project’s funding has run out.

A survey of state aging, disability and Medicaid agencies was conducted in 2012, in order to better understand challenges and concerns for funding and providing quality LTSS. Five common themes were identified in this report, including staff turnover and reductions during a sluggish recovery of state budgets. Other findings include an overall expansion of home and community-based services, LTSS transformation and reduced funding and high demand for non-Medicaid aging and disability services.

Ethnic minorities and LGBT older adults will continue to become more represented among the older adult population. A lifetime of discrimination has often adversely affected LGBT elders of color in a myriad of ways, including greater likelihood of financial instability and heightened health disparities. This report offers policy solutions to support the wellbeing of this growing population. Policy solutions include strengthened outreach and community supports to LBGT elders of color.

The Affordable Care Act authorized the Medicaid Health Home State Plan Option, which allows states to design health homes to provide comprehensive care coordination for Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic conditions. States will receive enhanced federal funding to support the rollout of this new integrated model of care. This link directs to the Health Home Resource Center that provides technical assistance services for states as they submit their proposals for these health homes to CMS.

A representative sample of 1,019 adults ages 40 or older were interviewed regarding their experiences and beliefs about their need for long-term care services, what such care would cost, and how such issues fit into their concerns about growing older. This report outlines survey findings. Findings include, 58% of participants underestimate the cost of nursing homes, 41% have discussed long-term care preferences with family and 51% support a government sponsored long-term care insurance program.

This report examines the importance of Medicaid as a safety net for financing long-term services and supports (LTSS). Most older adults will require some form of LTSS, but paid LTSS can be very expensive. Unpaid, family caregiving has enormous economic value and currently accounts for the greatest portion of LTSS provision. However, if an individual needs paid LTSS, and can't afford LTSS insurance, Medicaid is often needed after an individual spends down their assets.

With a focus on understanding the experiences and attitudes of this population as they begin to plan for their own care and interact with the long-term care system to provide care for loved ones, we examine their understanding of the long-term care system, their perceptions and misperceptions regarding the likelihood of needing long-term care services and of the cost of those services, and their attitudes and behaviors regarding planning for long-term care.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a new YouTube channel. It shows successful health information technology projects that focus on ways to enhance quality measurement, preventive care & medication management. These videos provide insights for health services researchers, health care providers and patient advocates on how AHRQ research supports the use of health IT to improve quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness of care.

The ACL website brings together three agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services: Administration on Aging, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Office on Disability. The new website offers resources about programs, services and issues facing persons with disabilities, older adults, and family caregivers. Site features include current issues, assessable icons to learn about ACL programs and information spread to the disability and aging communities.

This brief examines Medicaid's key role in meeting the long-term care needs of seniors in the United States, particularly those with limited incomes. Medicaid is the nation's primary payer of long-term services and supports, and state Medicaid programs provide a range of long-term care services. The brief includes state-by-state data on Medicaid enrollment and expenditures for elderly beneficiaries.