“State Actions to Sustain Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports During COVID-19,” by MaryBeth Musumeci, Rachel Dolan, and Madeline Guth, Kaiser Family Foundation

Quote:

“States have taken a number of Medicaid policy actions to address the impact of COVID-19 on seniors and people with disabilities, many of whom rely on long-term services and supports (LTSS) to meet daily needs and are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes if infected with coronavirus. Medicaid is the primary source of coverage for LTSS, financing over half of these services in 2018. Collectively these actions could expand access to coverage (by enhancing financial and functional eligibility criteria and streamlining enrollment), expand access to long-term care services (by adding new benefits and increasing utilization limits), and bolster providers (through increased reimbursement or retainer payments). Increased funding may be required to extend community-based care more broadly and additional enrollee protections and oversight could be achieved through strengthened reporting requirements. This issue brief identifies state actions taken as of August 21, 2020 and implications for future consideration.”

 

 

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

Great ideas! Let’s double down on everything Medicaid has done to desensitize the public to LTC risk, discourage the private market for home care, and ruin demand for private LTC insurance. Add new benefits; expand access; increase government funding? That’s the path that led to the disastrous system failing America today. Read Medicaid and Long-Term Care for new analysis and answers which discard more of the same poor policies.