Need for Broad Based Financing for Home and Community Long Term Care (LTC)

Financing home and community based long term care has been at the forefront of health policy since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965.

• Medicare has avoided financing long term care by generally defining covered services to only include post acute, skilled level care. • Medicaid does cover long term care but eligibility requires spending down personal assets to poverty levels, which many older and disabled persons try to avoid. • The VA covers long term care but requires eligible veterans be service connected for injury or illness or be poverty stricken. • Private insurance coverage of long term care is very expensive. In the past 20 years few have purchased such coverage. Newer insurance models involve converting whole life contracts to long term care coverage, but to date the penetration of these models is thought to be small. • The CLASS Act was contained in the Health Reform Legislation enacted in 2010. The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Plan is a broad based, employer driven long term care social insurance plan that is just getting off the ground.

Connie Garner, PhD, will cover CLASS Act. John Wren will outline implementation strategy being developed by The CLASS Office, AOA/DHHS. Joan VanNostrand, DPA, will offer suggestions to stimulate enrollment by historically underserved rural population groups, where the prevalence of functional loss exceeds national norms. Gerald M. Eggert, PhD, will introduce topic and offer concluding comments. Audience Q&A will be solicited.