KFF released a brief examining a proposal to shift Medicaid long-term care from institutional settings to home and community-based (HCBS) programs.  The brief examines the provisions of the national health care reform law that expand HCBS benefit options and eligibility criteria as well as the financial incentives the law creates for states that shift such care to HCBS programs.

From the report:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law in March 2010 creates a number of new opportunities for states to balance their Medicaid long‐term care delivery systems by expanding access to Medicaid home and community‐based services (HCBS) programs.1 The new law contains several provisions that expand Medicaid home and community‐based benefit options, broaden financial and functional eligibility criteria, and provide additional financial incentives for states that further shift their Medicaid long‐term services budgets to non‐institutional settings. Combined, these reforms represent a key opportunity for state Medicaid programs to address the long‐term care needs of low‐income individuals with chronic and disabling conditions. This brief outlines key provisions in the new health reform law that relate to Medicaid long‐term services and supports.

Full report: Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (PDF | 661KB)

Kaiser Family Foundatio. (2010). Medicaid long-term services and supports: key changes to the health reform law.