Aging/Older Adults

This report presents information on managed care’s enrollment and spending. It explores the growth of enrollment in Medicaid Managed Care in the United States and the contributing factors. It also analyzes the fact that funding does not directly parallel enrollment, as the share of total Medicaid spending that went to managed care only grew from 15 percent to 37 percent between 1999 and 2012, despite enrollment growing from 63 percent to 89 percent during that same time period.

This survey gathered insights from workers 45+ and asked questions regarding their experiences in the workplace, especially regarding age discrimination. Sixty-one percent of older workers report that they’ve seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Among those concerned about losing their job in the next year, one-third list age discrimination as a reason.

This report examines the role of formal long-term services and supports (LTSS) in Medicaid. The report focuses on how sociodemographic changes will impact the demand for LTSS in the future, and as a result, Medicaid use and expenditures.

This study asked adults age 50-80 about their use of opioids for pain management, perceptions of opioid policies, and the education they received about the drugs and their disposal. More than one in four older adults (29%) said they filled a prescription for an opioid pain medication for themselves within the past two years. Nearly half had leftover opioid medication, raising important concerns about misuse or abuse and highlighting the importance of communication with healthcare professionals.

This paper explores mid-life and older Americans' knowledge of the risk factors of social isolation. Overall, people tended to underestimate the health dangers of social isolation. Many people also incorrectly believed that social isolation is brought on by a single event, such as the death of a spouse. In reality, social isolation is often the result of a variety of factors.

This white paper discusses the issue of dental insurance coverage. Traditional Medicare does not include coverage for routine oral health care, creating disparities in access to checkups, cleanings, and x-rays, or restorative procedures, tooth extractions and dentures. This paper recommends a Medicare Part B dental benefit to close the gap between uninsured and insured older adults and proposes a theoretical structure for the benefit.

AARP's Public Policy Institute (PPI) publishes a monthly update on employment numbers for people ages 55 and over. AARP PPI has recently released its June 2018 version of the digest. The labor force participation rate for people ages 55 and older remained unchanged from the previous month, while the unemployment rate for people ages 55+ increased to 3.1 percent. The rest of the digest summarizes various employment statistics and compares June numbers to previous reports.

This annual report focuses on how CMS is working to improve care for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees. The report outlines the progress of CMS as it works to meet its strategic goals. It also identifies four legislative recommendations for improving care coordination and benefits.

This chapter is part of MACPAC's June 2018 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. It reports on the trend of states using managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS). The chapter discusses program outcomes, the added complexity of long-term services and supports in Medicaid managed care, and different directions being explored in MLTSS. It also identifies issues for further examination.

This annual report outlines Medicaid expenditures for all LTSS, including institutional services and HCBS, by service category and state. This report covers trends in total LTSS expenditures, LTSS as a Percentage of Total Medicaid Spending, HCBS as a Percentage of Total Medicaid LTSS, and more.