Aging/Older Adults

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.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older Americans, but most falls can be prevented. This resource highlights fall risk factors and ways that caregivers can work with loved ones to develop a falls prevention action plan.

This paper examines whether there is evidence that MLTSS programs increase access to home and community-based services (HCBS). One theory states that MLTSS programs may reduce costs associated with the use of institutional services, thereby allowing states to expand HCBS services and reduce waiting lists. This brief uses this theory and examines changes in a state's HCBS waiting list as one way to measure access to HCBS.

This paper explores how state MLTSS programs interact with federal LTSS initiatives. It examines this interaction in four states: Illinois, Iowa, New York, and Ohio. It specifically focuses on the the interaction of these states' MLTSS programs with the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration, the Balancing Incentive Program, the Health Home State Plan Option, and the Financial Alignment Initiative (FAI).

This paper looks at the impact of various MLTSS policies on access to LTSS. It looks specifically at four states and the policies which these states identify as important to ensuring access. All four states identified network adequacy standards, transition of care, provider reimbursement, and level of care criteria as important factors. In addition, the paper examined participant-directed services policies and care coordination models.