An important aspect of planning for long-term care is deciding how to pay for services. Long-term care is very expensive and generally not covered by Medicare. While some will qualify for Medicaid, most will not. Consequently, the majority of individuals will have to pay for some or all of their long-term care out of personal income and resources. The average cost in the United States in 2009 for a semi-private nursing home room was $198 per day. 2 It is also estimated that providing health care for an older American is three to five times greater than the cost for someone younger than 65. 3 The outrageous cost of long-term health care limits access to those that are able to pay for services.
The number of people 70 and older needing long-term care will increase from 10 million in 2000 to 15 million in 2020 and to 21 million in 2030. As a result, by 2030, the nation’s health care spending is projected to increase by 25%. 3 The current system of long-term care will not be able to handle the explosion of the elderly population. Quality and access to care are sure to decline with the rise of individuals in need of services. The Board on Health Care Services suggests the Health Care Financing Administration and state governments undertake research toward developing an appropriate array of community-based long-term-care services to meet the needs of consumers and assess the quality of the services and outcomes. 4
Poor quality of care has a large impact on the cost of services. According to Dennis Smith, “The journey into the long-term care system often begins with a senior who is on too many prescription drugs becomes disoriented, falls and breaks a hip. A person with a disability who did not get the properly equipped wheelchair is at risk for skin problems that can lead to pressure ulcers and hospitalization.” 5 These situations may be avoidable with a greater emphasis on quality of care.
Younger generations may believe that long-term health care is less important than competing ideas because it does not directly affect them at this time. The truth is long-term health care will be a part of all of our lives at some point in the future, whether it be for our parents or ourselves. In the next 20 years cost, access, and quality are going to be a growing concern in regard to long-term health care. These issues should be addressed now, before we are in over our heads.
Works Cited:
1. "Long-Term Care." Medicare. 03/25/2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Web. 18 Feb 2010.
2. "Paying for Long Term Care." National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information. 12/30/2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Web. 18 Feb 2010.
3. "The State of Aging and Health in America." National Academy on an Aging Society. 2007. The Merck Company Foundation, Web. 19 Feb 2010.
4. "Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care." Institute of Medicine. 01/01/2000. Board on Health and Care Services, Web. 18 Feb 2010.
5. Smith, Dennis. "The Role of Long-Term Care in Health Reform." The Heritage Foundation. 03/25/2009. The Heritage Foundation, Web. 18 Feb 2010.
- Jade Doro
It's interesting that long-term care is generally not covered by Medicare. With the high cost of long term care, no wonder much of it is done informally.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that LTC was such an issue in our nation today. LTC will be a part of all of our lives at some point. Something should be done to improve it now.
ReplyDeleteCharging $200 a day for long term care seems outrageous to me. I could not believe this number. My daughter pays roughly $300 a MONTH for her apartment. I understand that a lot of the individuals living in the nursing homes need advanced care but does it really cost that much?
ReplyDeleteThe number of elderly people is increasing quickly. Something much be done about this issue now. I do not think our system has enough staff to handle this dramatic increase. I also do not think our nation has enough money to handle this increase.
ReplyDelete