FINANCING SERVICES FOR OLDER ADULTS WITH DAILY LIVING NEEDS: U.S. VS. INTERNATIONAL REFORM EFFORTS

摘要

Over half of all adults turning 65 in the United States will experience a high need (needing assistance with two or more activities of daily living or experiencing severe cognitive impairment) for long-term services and supports (LTSS) over their lifetime. Fifteen percent will experience high need for five or more years. However, the United States lacks an insurance system to protect older adults from the risks associated with this need. It relies, instead, on an unsustainable mix of out-of-pocket payments, unpaid family caregiving and financing from Medicaid, a welfare-based healthcare program for low-income individuals.Over the past two years, several influential bipartisan groups have developed recommendations for shifting the financing of LTSS to an insurance-based system. In this symposium, long-term care financing leaders will 1) share insights from new economic modeling platform that supported policy recommendation development, 2) discuss the structure and status of policy recommendations to date, and 3) compare these proposals with long-term care systems from other countries also preparing for a rapidly aging population.