Financing

The Long-Term Care Financing Collaborative released a final report detailing the consensus framework for long-term care financing reform. LTCFC offered recommendations for reforms to expand access to long-term services and supports (LTSS) for individuals with all financial backgrounds. The proposed changes include: Clear private and public roles for long-term care financing; a new universal catastrophic long-term care insurance program; and redefining Medicaid LTSS to empower greater autonomy.

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), with funding from the SCAN Foundation, published a report offering recommendations to improve the financing of long-term care. The BPC published another report in April 2014 that examined the challenges in financing and delivery. This report is a follow up of those findings that offers recommendations to improve these issues.

Justice in Aging, with the support of the Albert and Elaine Borchard Center on Law and Aging, released a new paper, Advocacy Starts at Home: Strengthening Low-Income Older Adults and Caregivers. The paper's structure introduces Margaret and her story of being a family caregiver, discusses the problems as a result of the strain of poverty on low-income family caregivers and then offers solutions to help support older adults and their caregivers.

The Employment Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, with funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, published a report on financing transition services. Multiple funding streams, or braiding of resources, are used to fund the services and supports available for transition-age youth seeking employment or higher education. This report examines who the payers of last resort are based on different regulatory and legal requirements.

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on July 30, 2015, addressing key issues in Medicaid and the compilation of previous recommendations the office has made to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The recommendations fall within four overarching areas of access to care, transparency and oversight, program integrity, and federal financing approach.

The Medicare Board of Trustees released their annual report to Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of Medicare on July 22, 2015. The report included a projection indicating that the trust fund will remain solvent until 2030, which is 13 years longer than the 2009 prediction. Medicare covered 53.8 million people last year and the report provides a break down of the expenditures of each individual part of Medicare and its overall cost.

Convergence Center for Policy Resolution and the Long Term Care Financing Collaborative released two papers regarding the affordability and vision for delivery of long term care in the United States. The papers reflect the idea that the role of families and communities must be recognized when delivering long term services and supports. Additionally, giving elders the ability to finance their own care increases independence and autonomy and allows for support of family members and communities.