AARP Public Policy Institute

The recession continues to affect state programs for older individuals and adults with physical disabilities. Demand for publicly funded services has grown, and resources, including staff, are stretched thin, according to this new 50-state study. 31 states have cut non-Medicaid aging and disability services programs in FY 2010, and 28 states were expecting to cut these programs in FY 2011. Find the research report, brief, video and compiled State profiles.

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.

Curious about issues of family caregiving and the workplace? This report highlights three public policy solutions to extend protections for working caregivers and reduce worker turnover: unpaid family and medical leave, paid family and medical leave insurance, and earned sick time. It presents an overview of each policy area, explains why workplace leave policies matter, and highlights states and localities that have adopted these protections.

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.

The vast majority of people in need of long-term services and supports (LTSS) want to live in their own homes and communities. States have made progress in providing greater access to home and community based services (HCBS) for people with low incomes. Many states have also conducted studies to ensure that HCBS are cost effective. This report contains a summary of a collection of relevant state studies as well as Web links. The study shows states have contained costs as they expanded HCBS.

This report provides insight into how transportation services for older adults and persons with disabilities are funded. With a growing population in need of transportation and limited funds for these services, providers need to creatively leverage existing and untapped funding sources to fill gaps in service. Coordination of these limited resources is also key and must be supported by providers and all levels of government. Learn major sources of federal funding that providers can tap into.

AARP has many free educational resources on the Affordable Care Act. Available items including printable fact sheets, presentation templates, banner ads and web tools. Fact sheet categories include: The Law and Specific Populations, Provisions of the Law, The Law and Medicare. Tools on the website include a Health Law Guide, Doughnut Hole Calculator, and Drug Savings Tool. Each of the resources provide information in an accessible, easy to read format and target several different populations.

The number of workers with eldercare responsibilities is on the rise. This trend highlights the need to better understand the impact of family caregiving on work, and how working caregivers can better manage their work and caregiving responsibilities. The fact sheet highlights research about how caregivers juggle commitments and how responsibilities can interfere with employment.

The affordability of private pay services is an important component of LTSS system performance. This Insight on the Issues presents data on private pay affordability for every state and more than 400 markets in the U.S. There is wide variation in affordability between states and markets. Private pay nursing home care is not affordable for middle-income families. While less costly than nursing homes, home health care is still unaffordable for middle-income older people at typical levels of use.

This study challenges the common perception of family caregiving as a set of personal care and household chores that most adults already do or can easily master. The major shift is that the role of family caregivers has dramatically expanded to include performing medical/nursing tasks of the kind and complexity once only provided in hospitals. The findings highlight an urgent need for both individual and collective action. The report makes ten recommendations to support the current caregivers.