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The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) was signed by the President in February 2006 and included major changes to the Medicaid program. This brief provides an overview of the changes to the rules and direction of Medicaid long-term care services as enacted in the DRA. Issue Brief (.pdf)
Developing home and community-based service (HCBS) alternatives to institutional care has been a priority for many state Medicaid programs over the last two decades and the focus of Medicaid policy debates recently. While the majority of Medicaid long-term care dollars go toward institutional care, the national percentage of Medicaid spending on HCBS has more than doubled from 1992 to 2003. This report presents a summary of the main trends to emerge from the data for…
The proportion of elderly adults over age 65 in nursing homes has declined over the past two decades, most noticeably in recent years. Reasons suggested for this trend include reductions in disability rates among elderly people, improvements in mechanisms for coping with disability, and changes in the residential and long-term care options available to elderly people with disabilities. This report focuses on the characteristics, needs, and payment sources for the care of elderly nursing home…
This brief summarizes lessons in offering more home and community-based services from states at the forefront of the effort. It describes current options for state Medicaid programs and draws on interviews with state officials to provide details about specific policies and procedures in states. Brief (.pdf)
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…
There is increased interest among states in operating Medicaid managed long-term services and support (MLTSS) programs rather than paying for long-term services and supports (LTSS) on a fee-for-service basis, as has been the general practice. This issue brief examines key issues for states to consider if they are contemplating a shift to covering new populations and LTSS benefits through capitated payments to traditional risk-based managed care organizations (MCOs). It draws on current literature as well…
As many states expand their use of managed care in Medicaid, a growing number of beneficiaries with disabilities are being enrolled in risk-based managed care arrangements for at least some of their care. Further growth in managed care is expected in 2014, when the Affordable Care Act expands Medicaid eligibility to many uninsured low-income adults, including those with disabilities. This issue brief looks at issues related to the development and implementation of managed care programs…
This brief examines Medicaid's medically needy program, which gives states the option to extend Medicaid eligibility to those with high medical expenses whose income exceeds the maximum threshold, but who would otherwise qualify. It provides updated enrollment and spending figures on the medically needy using data through federal fiscal year 2009, and explains how individuals become eligible for the program and key considerations for policy discussions. Brief (.pdf)
Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Because women have longer life expectancies than men, more than half (57%) of the people covered by the program are women. In 1999, there were 21 million women on Medicare 19 million ages 65 and over and another 2 million women under age 65 with disabilities who received Social…
Asset Transfer and Nursing Home Use This issue brief examines asset transfer data of elderly nursing home residents and finds that for those who qualify for Medicaid, their average asset transfer are small, sufficient to cover about one month of private nursing home care. Issue Brief (.pdf)
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