A Bipartisan Aging and Long-Term Care Agenda: Integrating Care, Improving Affordability, and Elevating Consumers’ Voices
This project will provide policy insights and evidence-based research to better understand 1) how to best move forward on integrated care policy for dually eligible beneficiaries, 2) make long-term care more accessible and affordable for older adults with low or moderate incomes, and 3) amplify the consumer experience of older adults to inform policy reforms. The work will provide promising pathways for bipartisan consensus on reforms that advance a high-functioning health and aging system for all.
The Regents of the University of California, Davis
Rural Policy Publications
Rural older adults and people with disabilities face unique barriers to health care, long-term services and supports, and other vital services. To shed light on these barriers and identify solutions, Pauline DeLange Martinez with UC Davis led a team in analyzing qualitative data from rural communities. Based on this data, they developed three policy briefs that highlight key policy and program recommendations for aging well in rural communities.
California Integrated Care at Home – Financing Plan
To advance access to long-term services and supports, LeadingAge California will explore opportunities to blend and braid existing financing sources to pilot a model of care that bridges housing, health care, and LTSS in affordable housing communities called California Integrated Care at Home.
Engagement and Workshops to Support the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC)’s Aging Research Agenda
Through this project, PPIC will build off findings in a recent report on California’s Aging Population to develop a research agenda focused on California’s aging population and the policy solutions needed to support the state’s older adults and those who care for them.
Advancing the Safe, Effective, and Equitable use of AI Within the California Safety Net
Health AI Partnership (HAIP) is at the forefront of equitable and safe AI and the leading organization focused on safety net settings, such as Federally Qualified Health Centers, and has created a “Practice Network”, a selected group of community clinics that will adopt AI solutions with HAIP’s best practices and implementation guidance. Co-funded with the California Health Care Foundation, this project is scoping an operational plan.
Intersections of Racial Equity/Social Justice Organizations and Aging
This project seeks to replicate our proven model to find commonality between sectors. Working with the University of Southern California’s (USC) Dornslife Equity Research Institute, we will introduce TSF community-based organization leaders across California. This project will provide greater understanding of how we can successfully leverage community-level organizations as part of our mission and vision.
The People Say is a groundbreaking resource amplifying the voices of older adults in policymaking. Developed by The SCAN Foundation and Public Policy Lab, it shares real-life insights on issues like healthcare, caregiving, and transportation—ensuring the lived experiences of aging Americans shape the policies that impact their daily lives. Current investments (multiple grants) include Year 2 research, adding perspectives from older adults living in Arizona, California, Minnesota, New Orleans, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Sharing the stories of people with lived experience provides an opportunity to highlight what they need to live well at home and in community The UCB, Center for Investigative Reporting, through its Aging in America series, will publish at least 14 stories per year related to aging and older adults with a focus on older adults who are low income, of color, and/or living in rural communities, in major media outlets.
Additional technical assistance and education on Medicare is needed for states to continue to mature their integrated care understanding and capacity to serve dually eligible beneficiaries. This project continues support for the Medicare Academy, and will employ direct education to select new states that are ready and eager to advance their integrated care success at a time when the federal financial alignment demos are coming to an end. Products developed include state-specific training curriculum and related educational materials.
Older adults and people with disabilities were disproportionately impacted by the Los Angeles County wildfires and face unique challenges to recovery. Contribution to the California Community Fund will provide critical support to recovery efforts for older adults impacted by the fires and their families.
Supporting Multisector Plans for Aging Funders Community
Multisector Plans for Aging (MPA) provide a framework for states to support and prepare for their growing population of older adults. This grant, with co-funding from West Health, Health Care Foundation of Western and Central NY, and Taub Foundation, will support a Grantmakers in Aging Funding Community to champion Multisector Plans for Aging (MPA). GIA will convene 22 funders who are exploring opportunities to support Multisector Plans for Aging in their state. The Community works to: 1) Increase awareness and understanding of MPA among the GIA network and the broader philanthropic community. 2) Create a formal community of practice to share information, strategies, and solutions related to MPA. 3) Cultivate relationships with new funders engaged through MPA efforts to expand and strengthen the GIA network and forge strategic partnerships across sectors.
The Cost of Prejudice: What does it really cost when we discriminate against people in the provision of health care services?
Understanding how lived experience impacts how a person interacts with the delivery system provides an opportunity to highlight how systems might provide better care. This grant to UMass Boston will examine how various forms of perceived discrimination (e.g. racial, age, gender, weight, sexual orientation, physical disability, wealth, etc.) impact both older adults’ experiences with the health care system and any health care costs associated with those experiences within the delivery system. This work will result in a series of policy briefs.
To advance long-term service and support (LTSS) reforms policymakers might consider the history of policy efforts in this area as an important source of information and context. This project will create a user-friendly website to showcase the LTSS Compendium of legislative reform solutions proposed over the last 30 years, as well as those put forward by researchers and think tanks.
Initiatives to Advance Long-Term Services and Supports Reform
The history of policy efforts in long-term service and support (LTSS) is an important source of information and context as policymakers consider future reforms. This three-part project will (1) support the creation of a concise, practical compendium of LTSS financing reform solutions for federal policymakers; (2) explore how individuals with LTSS need to access the home care system and how that varies by program eligibility, create a journey map of how individuals enter the system to access home care, and the key barriers they face; (3) will analyze recent state activity and state goals on LTSS reform by cataloguing new state laws and programs as well as active discussions to enact new financing options.
California’s Master Plan for Aging has strong stakeholder support, but it takes focused leadership to coordinate and sustain momentum. With support of the MPA Fund, Justice in Aging will continue to facilitate stakeholder engagement to advance and ensure implementation of specific policies consistent with the goals of the Governor’s Master Plan for Aging (MPA). JIA will provide staff support to lead MPA stakeholder advisory committees and produce a stakeholder report on MPA progress and priorities.
