long-term care | Nexus Insights

In a recent op-ed in The Hill, Nexus Insights Fellows Anne Tumlinson, David Grabowski and Robert Kramer, raise an important point that has been missing from recent discussions around transforming long-term care following the pandemic. The Biden Administration has proposed a $400B investment in home- and community-based services (HCBS). We assert this investment is necessary but not sufficient. Without additional spending on services to help families navigate and manage long-term care services, this HCBS investment is basically a “road to nowhere.” We argue for the need to create a network of long-term care service hubs across the country to help families navigate services.

As you know, there have been A LOT of thought pieces around improving long-term care going forward, but we have not seen this point made elsewhere. Thus, we believe it would be an ideal time to make this point as policymakers consider the Biden proposal.

Excerpt:

Long-term care is complex. Few Americans plan ahead and most wait until a crisis pushes them into a frantic search for solutions. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Every day older adults lose their ability to care for themselves. Often, they are discharged from the hospital too weak or confused to be left alone or care for themselves. Now what? Who will take care of them? Is home- or facility-based care the best option? How much will it cost and who will pay? Does Medicare cover it? Does Medicaid? If home care is the answer, how do you find a qualified and affordable caregiver? Where do you even start? Life-changing decisions must be made, and fast.

Read the full op-ed in The Hill.

Anne Tumlinson is CEO of ATI Advisory and the Founder of Daughterhood. David Grabowski is Professor in the Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School. Robert Kramer is the founder of Nexus Insights, and the co-founder and Strategic Advisor & former CEO of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC).

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The nation’s infrastructure has become a hot topic, as the Biden administration lays out its infrastructure plan. Long-term care for the growing senior population is one of the areas for proposed investment, which may be a surprise to some, but not to those in the industry. Rethinking long-term care for our nation’s rapidly aging population is an urgent problem, but addressing it effectively is a complex one.

David Grabowski, Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School and a Nexus Insights Fellow, was interviewed recently on his thoughts and recommendations for the reformation of long-term care in the United States. Grabowski is a key figure in the research, policy and media world, with expertise in the economics of aging, Medicare, and the integration and coordination of care for dually-eligible beneficiaries. He’s a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC), a well-known expert in the post-acute care services realm and a leading speaker on industry publications and newscasts around the world.

Grabowski’s recommendations range from a unified post-acute payment system to changing up the traditional nursing home model and investing more heavily in home-based care. He compares the United States to other developed countries for home and community-based services spending, considers why investment in nursing homes and home care services is not an either-or proposition, and explores the future of SNF-at-home programs.

Listen to Grabowski’s Interview: A part of the Home Health Care News podcast series Disrupt.

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Tag Archive for: long-term care

America’s long-term care infrastructure: A road to nowhere – Op-ed in the Hill co-authored by Nexus Insights

Excerpt:

Grabowski Spotlighted on Disrupt Podcast: Rethinking Long-Term Care in the US

Tag Archive for: long-term care

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