We’ve been writing and talking recently about a report the Center for Long Term Care Reform just released, “Doing LTC Right”. The report takes a long and hard look at the state of Rhode Island and its methods of dealing with long term care. Yes, Rhode Island is a small state, so you may wonder if it symbolizes, accurately, the rest of the country in regards to long term care. As mentioned in the the report, here are a few stats about the Ocean State:
- 43rd in total population but 5th in percent of population over 85 years of age;
- 3rd in elderly with Alzheimer’s Disease
- 6th in nursing home recipients age 65 plus;
- 2nd in nursing home expenditures per Medicaid recipient;
- 39th in home and community-based services as a percent of long-term care spending;
- 44th in the ratio of family caregiving value to Medicaid cost; and
- 42nd in median household income for people age 65 plus.5
The following paragraphs provide a necessary background to the problem threatening the US:
Medicaid is the dominant LTC payer in the Ocean State. The cost is enormous and growing. Long-term care for the elderly accounts for a disproportionate share of Rhode Island’s Medicaid expenditures.
Like the U.S. as a whole, only more so, Rhode Island’s Medicaid-financed LTC is dominated by nursing facilities, which most people would rather avoid.
Likewise, access to Medicaid-financed home and community-based care, which most people prefer, is very limited–again more limited than in most of the rest of the country.
Furthermore, like most Americans, few Rhode Islanders prepare in advance to pay privately for LTC through savings, investments or insurance.
Public officials in RI recognized these problems and took creative, arguably radical, measures to address them.
What did Rhode Island do that was so radical? They designed a “global Medicaid waiver”. It could help the state of Rhode Island, and the US, reduce costs of long term care while providing better care and more choices for the public.
Subscribe to our long term care insurance blog to hear more.
In the meantime, you can download the PDF and read more Doing_LTC_RIght-1
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