Long-Term Care

This compendium includes select information on waiver capacity and waiting list management. The compendium highlights over 200 approved Section 1915(c) and Section 1115 waivers across all 50 states and DC. As an accompaniment to this compendium, MACPAC has also released an issue brief. This issue brief includes a description of the waiver analysis conducted in the compendium. It also features information from stakeholder interviews.

This report examines how states can help finance LTSS. It analyzes emerging LTSS social insurance strategies in six states: Washington, Hawaii, Maine, California, Michigan, and Minnesota. The report includes information from 42 stakeholder interviews in these states and outlines lessons learned during the policy change process.

The National Quality Forum (NQF) has published the final report from the Person-Centered Planning and Practice Project. This report outlines recommendations from a committee of stakeholders with lived and professional experience in LTSS. The report includes the committee's final recommendations across a number of areas regarding person-centered thinking, planning, and practice.

This week, the Senate Finance Committee released the language and summaries of legislation to help nursing home efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Act would call on nursing homes to ensure that a portion Federal relief funds, made available on or after July 1, for responding to COVID-19 would be used for personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing in long-term care facilities. The Act also has language for expanding resources for elder justice activities.

On July 2nd, ADvancing States, in partnership with n4a, Meals on Wheels America, and NANASP, submitted a letter to Congress requesting additional funding for OAA programs to continue providing COVID-related services and supports. The letter requests an additional $1.1 billion for these services, which was the combined total of OAA funding provided in the Families First Coronavirus Response and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Sercurity Acts.

The MACPAC June 2020 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP was created prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights long-term challenges facing Medicaid. Across six chapters, it discusses key issues including integrated care for dually eligible Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare Savings Programs, and Medicaid's statutory role as the payer of last resort.

This webinar discussed two issue briefs from the MLTSS Institute on aligning Medicare and Medicaid for dually eligible individuals. The briefs covered were, "Starting from Square One: Considerations for States Exploring Medicare-Medicaid" and, “The Value of Integration to State Medicaid Agencies”. The webinar also highlighted the perspective of the District of Columbia, which is planning to launch new program elements to better integrate care.

The Community Living Policy Center (CLPC) released a brief describing how short-term extensions of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program have curtailed state efforts in transitioning individuals out of institutions. The CLPC based their findings on CMS data on annual transitions in each state.

This issue brief from the MLTSS Institute focuses on aspects of delivering effective care to individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Only about 2/3 of states have undertaken any activity to better integrate care for dually eligible beneficiaries; many have encountered a number of barriers in pursuing better integration of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This issue brief identifies key questions that states should ask themselves before they design an integrated care program.

This AARP Public Policy Institute research report examines support for family caregivers in managed long-term services and supports. The report finds that states have made progress in this area, but have opportunity to continue improving support for family caregivers in their MLTSS programs. One potential solution suggested by the report is to ensure that MLTSS contracts between states and health plans include clearly defined requirements to identify and support family caregivers.