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As the Biden Administration takes office, the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic and related economic downturn are the key issues that will substantially shape Medicaid coverage and financing policy in the year ahead.
Developed as part of a nonpartisan public education initiative of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the League of Women Voters Education Fund, this guide provides basic facts about five key health policy topics candidates are discussing in the 2000 election. These topics include health coverage for the uninsured, managed care and patients' rights, Medicare reform, prescription drug coverage for seniors, and long-term care. The guide frames each area and describes major proposals that…
In the debates around the health reform law and its implementation, little attention has been given to the law's provisions supporting long-term care. This briefing offered an overview of these provisions, such as the CLASS Act, a new national, voluntary insurance program to help working adults finance services and supports that they may need in the future, and the Community First Choice Option, which helps Medicaid recipients get attendant care at home. This October 1…
This survey shows that most adults feel unprepared for affording the cost of long-term care and support service, and just under half are not confident they will have the financial resources to pay for care they might need as they age. Most older adults have not taken financial or practical steps to plan for their potential future care needs.
In response to long-standing workforce challenges in home- and community-based services, states have reported increasing Medicaid payment rates, providing more education and training or leveraging other strategies to recruit and retain workers.
Characteristics of Women Family Caregivers Download Source Kaiser Family Foundation, 2008 Kaiser Women’s Health Survey
This issue brief examines the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) program, a component of the health reform law that establishes a national, voluntary insurance program for purchasing community living services and supports that is designed to expand options for people who become functionally disabled and require long-term help. This brief describes the major components of the CLASS program including its financing, eligibility criteria, benefit design and interaction with Medicaid. Issue Brief (.pdf)
The nearly nine million dual eligibles who receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits are a high cost, high need population, accounting for a disproportionate share of expenditures relative to their enrollment in both programs. In April 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the award of design contracts to 15 states to develop service delivery and payment models to integrate care for dual eligibles. CMS and the participating states have recognized that…
Home Transition Programs: Perspectives of Medicaid Care Planners This report draws on interviews with Medicaid care planners for insight into the issues that arise in establishing programs to move individuals with significant long-term care needs from institutional to community settings. The five states that participated in this study—Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington—each received federal grants for nursing home transition activities and had varied experiences. Report (.pdf)
The nation's primary payer for long-term services and supports, Medicaid finances 43 percent of all spending on long-term care services and covers a range of services and supports, including those needed by people to live independently in the community, as well as services provided in institutions. This report provides an overview of long-term care users and their acute and long-term care service spending. The report finds that although the individuals who rely on long-term care…
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