In the final Medicaid 101 session, entitled Medicaid and the Future of Long-Term Care, panelists discussed new trends and efforts to care for long term and aging patients.
“The way the programs meet those unique needs is in a person-centered approach. Medicaid has been on a journey for a couple of decades,” said Lindsey Browning with the National Association of Medicaid Directors. “Medicaid pays for more than half of the nation’s spending on Long term services and supports. Nearly one in 10 individuals died in nursing facilities during COVID-19. The delivery system wasn’t prepared to deal with this.”
Browning was able to include some important facts about the future of long-term care.
“The number of Americans 65 and older is going to double in the next 40 years,” she said. “Congress provided a limited 10% increase in Medicaid and home-based services. We see it as seed money in building a better delivery system.”
Tyler Dienes, director of Medicaid and Home and Community Based Services Policy at LeadingAge, pointed to the investment opportunities through the American Rescue Plan Act.
“From section 9817, it’s a 10% increase in the share. States have till 2024 to spend this money. It has to be used on enhancing, expanding or strengthening (Home and Community Based Services) systems,” he said. “We want to highlight the patient -centered service delivery, the right needs to the right person in the right amount. It’s so critical that you are involving the participant and allowing them to have a preference in their plan.”
Other panelists discussed failures and successes in providing long-term care solutions.
“We had managed care implementations that didn’t go well, and we learned from that experience. Sitting in meetings, asking them questions, and it was a big change in people’s care,” said Matt Wimmer, principal at Health Management Associates, of talking with patients.
Alec Graham, Washington Department of Social and Health Services office of home and community programs chief, offered up some creative solutions.
“In Washington, specifically, 70% of those 65 are going to need long-term care,” he said. Legislators passed WA Cares Fund. No one is denied medical coverage due to health status; workers contribute a little over half a percent of wages to self-fund the program,” he said.
Graham discussed two programs in Washington state, including Medicaid Alternative Care and Tailored Supports for Older Adults.
“Both expand care options for people age 55 and older,” he said. “About the goals, it is trying to be person-centered, and provide the right support at the right time. It focuses on supporting unpaid family caregivers.”
