More Than Meets the Eye: Long-Term Care Provisions in the New Reform Law

Most of the emphasis during the health reform debate centered on affordable health coverage for the uninsured, strategies to control the growth in health care spending, and delivery system reforms. Relatively little attention was given to the many provisions of the new law that deal directly with long-term care.

For instance, the Affordable Care Act increases access to home and community-based services through Medicaid waiver programs. The law includes the CLASS Act, a new national, voluntary insurance program to help working adults finance services and supports that they may need in the future.

To provide a look at the various provisions of the new health reform law on long-term care, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation sponsored an Oct. 1 briefing. A distinguished panel addressed questions such as: What exactly are the provisions in the new law pertaining to long-term care? How will consumers, providers and states be affected? What are the major components of the CLASS Act, including its interaction with Medicaid? What opportunities do these provisions present and what are some of the challenges for states and the federal government in implementation?

Panelists were: Richard Frank, deputy assistant secretary for policy and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Suzanne Bosstick of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; Tom Akins, president of the North Carolina Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging; and JoAnn Lamphere of AARP. Ed Howard of the Alliance and Diane Rowland of the Kaiser Family Foundation co-moderated.

Transcript

Full Transcript (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Speaker Presentations

Suzanne Bosstick (PowerPoint)
Tom Akins (PowerPoint)
JoAnn Lamphere (PowerPoint)

Event Details

Agenda (Adobe Acrobat PDF)