Medicaid LTSS

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the “Medicaid LTSS Annual Expenditures Report for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2020”, and the Medicaid Section “1915(c) Waiver Programs Annual Expenditures and Beneficiaries Report, Analysis of CMS 372 Annual Reports for 2018-2019.” These reports discuss the long-term services and supports (LTSS) rebalancing trends and patterns in expenditures for different home and community-based services (HCBS) and institutional care, nationally and across states....

The Commonwealth Fund has published a compilation of state successes in transforming long-term care as a resource to support policymakers. This policy guide is the result of a nine-month partnership between CSG and the Commonwealth Fund. Subject matter experts and stakeholders from Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia examine the following focus areas in long-term care: Addressing State Regulation of Long-Term Services and Supports Facilities; Optimizing American Rescue Plan Act Spending on Home- and Community-Based Services Under Medicaid; and Revitalizing the Direct Care Workforce and Supporting Family Caregivers.

The National Academy of Social Insurance released a report on potential designs for universal family care. The report highlights state program design proposals for early child care and education, paid family and medical leave, and long-term services and supports. The LTSS section of the report proposes four design issues states may face in developing a social insurance program for LTSS.