“Medicare, Social Security financial shortfalls would ‘further cripple’ long-term care, advocates say,” by Kathleen Steele Galvin, McKnight’s Senior Living

“‘Today, chronically underfunded providers struggle to deliver the quality care that’s desperately needed in our communities; projected financial shortfalls for either Social Security or Medicare will further cripple the country’s fragile long-term care system,’ Sloan said. ‘If Congress and the administration don’t act now to shore up these two critical programs, older adults and families will suffer.’”

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

What do Social Security and Medicare have to do with long-term care? Plenty, as I often point out, but rarely see the point made by others. People on Medicaid must contribute most of their income, including Social Security benefits, to offset the government’s cost for their care. Cut SS benefits and LTC providers take an immediate hit. Likewise, Medicare doesn’t pay directly for LTC, but it does reimburse nursing homes much more generously than Medicaid for the short-term and rehab services it does cover. So, cut Medicare and nursing homes take that hit too. It’s refreshing to see advocates recognize the need to fix SS and Medicare instead of mindlessly demanding ever more spending and government regulation.