Federal Commission on Long Term Care

Part of the Taxpayer Relief Act established the Commission on Long Term Care. According to the Commission’s website, the Commission is required to

“…develop a plan for the establishment, implementation, and financing of a comprehensive, coordinated, and high-quality system that ensures the availability of long-term services and supports for individuals in need of such services and supports, including elderly individuals, individuals with substantial cognitive or functional limitations, other individuals who require assistance to perform activities of daily living, and individuals desiring to plan for future long-term care needs.”

Further by September 12, 2013, the Commission is required to

“…vote on a comprehensive and detailed report based on the long-term care plan… [described above]… that contains any recommendations or proposals for legislative or administrative action as the Commission deems appropriate, including proposed legislative language to carry out the recommendations or proposals.”

The Commission’s website has links to the hearing videos and testimony. The most recent hearing was held on August 1, 2013.  The hearing consisted of four panels: on “Strengthening Medicaid LTSS, “Strengthening Medicare for LTSS”, “Strengthening private long-term care insurance” and “interaction of insurance, private resources and Medicaid” with a variety of speakers per panel (listed here).

The next hearing is scheduled for August 20th, and keep in mind the Commission’s deadline.

On August 15th, 2013, Don Redfoot, a blogger for AARP’s Public Policy Institute blogged about the August 1 hearing, titled “Do the Rich Benefit from Medicaid?” summarizing the testimony of the witnesses for the fourth panel on the interaction of insurance, private resources and Medicaid.” 

Teaching students not only about the intricacies of the Medicaid program as well as the planning techniques used for Medicaid is a great opportunity for a discussion about policy and government programs.  The information collected by the Commission, including the testimony from this panel, adds to the resources available to us in covering such an interesting topic.