Oregon's long term care service delivery: Financing and delivering community based programs for Oregon's elders

As states face the reality of population aging, budget challenges, a growing demand for consumer choice, and uncertainty regarding the future of federal funding available for Medicare and Medicaid, state officials are exploring and implementing new ways to provide long-term care services. Oregon is often used as a model for long term care reform efforts since it leads the nation in providing a majority of services in home and community based programs rather than in institutional settings and has experience in these settings dating back to the mid 1970's. Oregon serves a majority of its elders in a variety of community programs and settings including assisted living, adult foster care, and consumer-driven programs. This session provides an understanding how Oregon spends its long-term care dollars by examining the particulars of each program: its target population, numbers of people served, cost per person, and where available, quality measures associated with each program. Programs for non-Medicaid eligible elders, such as Oregon Project Independence, and programs supported through the Older Americans Act will also be discussed in order to present a more complete picture of the climate of long-term care in Oregon. How the state is currently dealing with growing challenges of an aging population and budget constraints provides insight into lessons learned within Oregon that other states may consider as they develop long-term care service delivery strategies.