The Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. released a brief on the system of Medicaid-funded long-term support services (LTSS).  The brief offers recommendations for reforming the Medicaid-funded LTSS system to make it more cost-effective and consumer-oriented.

From the report: Despite the recent growth in home and community-based services (HCBS) programs, there remains ample opportunity to expand community-based alternatives even further.  According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, only five states (i.e., Alaska, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington) currently spend more Medicaid LTSS dollars on HCBS than nursing homes.  An array of financial, administrative, bureaucratic, and political obstacles are impeding states from rebalancing their LTSS programs toward greater emphasis on HCBS alternatives.

Full report:  Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Care: Toward More Home- and Community-Based Options (PDF | 168.23 KB)

Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc.  (2010).  Medicaid-funded long-term care: toward more home- and community-based options.  Enquist, G., Johnson, C., Lind, A. and Barnette, L.