The very poor will be covered by Medicaid. Unfortunately, the Medicare program will not help older persons pay for their long-term care needs.
The very nature of long-term care in our society is changing. Medical science is keeping us alive longer and there are fewer early sudden deaths. Fewer deaths mean more prolonged health problems requiring long-term care. In addition, the population of those over age 65 is increasing while the younger segments of our population are not. This trend will continue to put pressure on aging services, especially long term care.
At the same time, the supply of non-paid caregivers is dwindling as families
are smaller today and society's traditions have evolved. There are many
factors that reduce the pool of traditionally-available care givers, forcing
more people to pay for services of administered by paid professionals
(sometimes called "formal care".)
Additionally, care that has been traditionally provided by government
agencies is also diminishing. Medicare spending on home care dropped from
$17.5 billion in 1997 to $14.9 billion in 1998 and to $9.7 billion in
1999: a 45% decline in 3 years. It is predicted that an aging population
over the next 20 years (the baby boomers) will cause a huge drain on state
Medicaid programs, which are currently the primary source of funding for
nursing home care. The United States Congress is also reluctant to create
new government-sponsored, long-term care entitlement programs.
