Universal Coverage of Long-Term Care for Older Americans May Stabilize Provider Revenues

A report from Milbank Quarterly argues that the steep price that older Americans have paid during the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to fortify the nation's system for long-term services and support, according to Healthcare Finance News . The authors propose universal coverage to support long-term care of all older Americans, to shield against financial disaster and discard a system in which only the poorest Americans can access coverage through Medicaid. They added that this would also stabilize the funding pipeline for providers. The report recommends establishing universal coverage for all Americans' long-term care needs via Medicare. "Universal coverage is essential to achieving greater equity in access and coverage, but it is also essential to the fiscal viability of the financing mechanism (e.g., everyone pays into the system)," the authors explained. They also advise founding an age-friendly health system, and improved collaboration between public health, health systems, and long-term care to protect older adults' well-being and safety. Near-term recommendations include enhanced disclosure of COVID-19 infections to address a "lack of publicly available information" nationally about infections among people receiving long-term services and support, and professional caregivers. The authors also said Medicaid reimbursement should provide resources to support independent long-term care and home care providers.