Historically, more than 20% of Medicaid expenditures have paid
for care for older adults, primarily for nursing home or home health
care. Proposals from the majority in Congress and the Executive
Branch have called for giving States more flexibility in spending Medicaid
dollars through block grants, while also reducing federal spending by
approximately one trillion dollars over the next decade. How will and
should States respond to these proposed changes, and what will be the
implications for older adults and others who need long-term care? Will
States respond with creative solutions to bundle long-term care spending with
other support programs such as housing and transportation? Will decreased
federal spending lead to significant gaps in care, or spur innovation in
lower-cost care mediated by technology? Will families and local
communities have to assume a larger role in caring for older adults?
These are some of the issues that will be explored in this panel.