News on transforming care for older adults
A new brief from ATI Advisory offers data insights on 2023 Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offering the five expanded primarily health-related benefits (EPHRB). The brief includes information on where plans are offering EPHRB and an overview across both MA special needs plans (SNPs) and non-SNP MA organizations. This is part of ATI’s broader effort to track nonmedical supplemental benefits and builds on their recent chartbook.
Bringing awareness to issues affecting the lives of community-dwelling older adults, our partnership with UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program inspires unique reporting opportunities. A recent article published by climate justice site Grist elevated an intergenerational housing story in France as an example of how to protect older adults during heat waves.
A new brief from AARP Public Policy Institute presents the vision and framework for the 2023 Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard. The brief discusses AARP’s approach to the 2023 edition of the Scorecard, reflects on changes since the Scorecard was first published in 2011, and considers how future editions may best meet today’s needs.
This National Family Caregivers Month, The SCAN Foundation salutes the tremendous contributions that family caregivers provide to older adults and people with disabilities.
Nearly everyone will be a caregiver or need a caregiver in their lifetime. Currently, 53 million people in America are unpaid caregivers—providing physical, emotional, social, and financial support to family, friends, and neighbors. They are the “invisible backbone” of U.S. health care, spending roughly $7,000/year on out-of-pocket caregiving costs, such as household and medical expenses. An earlier report found that caregivers’ estimated 34 billion hours of unpaid care translated to an estimated economic value of $470 billion.
California had 6.7 million adult caregivers in 2020, and 1 in 4 adults provided at least 20 hours/week of caregiving. Nearly 3 in 5 were women, 3 in 5 were 45 years of age or older, and 4 in 5 were white or Latino. Further, we see communities of color living in multigenerational settings (or households) more often than whites, which suggests that these families are more likely to provide unpaid caregiving across the generations.
Family caregivers are the unsung heroes of health care and deserve more recognition than just 30 days in November. Their service reinforces our commitment to lift their voices—like Sandy, a woman caring for her proud veteran father, and ensuring he can age at home surrounded by his friends and community.
Similarly, Grace cares for her parents. She adjusts as her parents’ needs change to ensure they can keep doing what they like to do. Simultaneously, she is thinking about how she can obtain support and maintain her own well-being.
Though Angela moved into an assisted living facility to be supported with her daily living needs, her granddaughter Sarah continues to provide emotional and social support.
We pledge to continue to advance efforts for every state to develop a Master Plan for Aging that includes the needs of family caregivers—like paid leave, multilingual training resources, virtual care options, and other supports. So what can you do today?
Throughout National Family Caregivers Month and every day, we must continue to shine a light on family caregivers. They deserve our deep appreciation, and our responsiveness to their wants and needs.
Older adults and family and friend caregivers are discussing what really matters. Our Aging Well with Community page shares how three older adults are navigating growing older with support from their family caregivers and communities. Related, check out our 10 Things series for millennial caregivers and families.
Watch a recent Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) discussion on services and supports offered to California’s older adult population and dual eligible beneficiaries and how these services align with the Master Plan for Aging.
A brief from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) highlights current federal initiatives for integrating payment and delivery of services for dually eligible beneficiaries and opportunities for future integration efforts.
The Better Care Playbook elevates promising approaches to improve care for adults with complex health and social needs. Help the Playbook grow and evolve by sharing your feedback by November 30.
A new Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) resource shares facts about California’s older adult population and steps the state is taking to advance health and transform aging.
Join the related ITUP webinar tomorrow, October 27, at 1 pm PT for a discussion on new services and supports offered to California’s older adult population and dual eligible beneficiaries, and how these services align with the Master Plan for Aging.
A Master Plan for Aging (MPA) lays out a roadmap to help states transform the infrastructure and coordination of services for their aging populations and people with disabilities. The Center for Health Care Strategies outlines the principles essential to MPA development and shares examples of best practices. Learn about the unexpected benefits of an MPA and how to get started.
Join Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP) on Thursday, October 27, at 1 pm PT for a discussion on new services and supports offered to California’s older adult population and dual eligible beneficiaries, and how these services align with the Master Plan for Aging.
An Investigative Reporting Program article, originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle last month, takes a deeper look at many older adults’ inadequate access to home- and community-based services and affordable housing.
The Better Care Playbook provides evidence-based research and promising practices for improving complex care. Read the latest blog on measuring equity during people’s inpatient hospital experiences, stratifying by race and ethnicity, language preference, and social risk.
Recent analyses by NORC at the University of Chicago explored the financial challenges likely faced by middle-income older adults in California and nationally by 2033. Watch the related California-focused discussion that builds on NORC’s findings. Also, read our fact sheet, highlighting key investments within the California state budget.
The Better Care Playbook elevates promising approaches to improve care for adults with complex health and social needs. Help the Playbook grow and evolve by sharing your feedback by November 30.
More than one-third of older adults worry about paying for health care and long-term care. Middle-income older adults, coined the “forgotten middle,” are in the particularly precarious position of being ineligible for Medicaid assistance, yet still have difficulty affording out-of-pocket costs.
A new analysis from NORC at the University of Chicago looks at California’s middle-income, older adult population and forecasts that the state will have 1.6 million middle-income older adults (age 75 and older) in 2033, nearly half of which will be people of color. Findings show that half will struggle to pay for housing and care, even if those who own sell their homes.
Earlier this week, TSF, West Health, Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP), and expert guests discussed the challenges facing older Californians, the relationship of these findings to longstanding inequities, and potential policy opportunities. View the recording.
We partner with UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program to elevate issues affecting the lives of older adults. A recent CapRadio piece examined California’s affordable housing shortage through the lens of LGBTQ older adults.
Join TSF, along with West Health and Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP), to explore the demographic characteristics of California’s middle-income older adults and future challenges regarding health care and long-term care affordability. Register here.
The webinar will offer a local perspective that builds on the recent national findings from NORC at the University of Chicago. That research projected more than 11 million middle-income older adults may have insufficient resources to pay for long-term care and housing by 2033.
Our latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll indicates that most U.S. adults think private health insurers (60%) and Medicare (57%) should have a large responsibility for paying for the costs of long-term care, and about half think the same about Medicaid (53%).
Also, majorities of Black and Hispanic adults are very or extremely concerned about having access to high-quality health care when they need it. Read the press release and article.
Older adults thrive in settings best suited to their individual needs. A new report from the Convergence Center for Policy Resolution highlights steps toward a system of care and supports that reflect the preferences and life goals of older adults. These include creating a constellation of care settings with adaptable and viable business models so that preferred options are available as people age, and ensuring there are enough direct and family caregivers.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) included one-time funding for states to expand and enhance home and community-based services (HCBS) including modernizing infrastructure and expanding benefits. ADvancing States released two related papers on ARPA initiatives: one on increasing wages and career opportunities for direct service workers and another on expanding access to enabling technology.
New findings from NORC at the University of Chicago indicate that more than 11 million middle-income older adults – coined the “forgotten middle” – may have insufficient resources to pay for long-term care and housing by 2033. According to the research, the numbers of middle-income older adults will almost double over the next decade, and the population will be more racially and ethnically diverse. Read the press release.
UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program shares the challenges experienced by older adults living in community and encourages dialogue around potential solutions. In a video published by The San Francisco Standard, the reporter examines the affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area.
Purchaser Business Group on Health, in partnership with the Integrated Health Care Association, evaluated provider performance across several risk types using a variety of clinical person-centered measures. They discovered “full risk” provider groups, those with more flexibility in population management, slightly outperform those provider groups with “partial risk” in achieving person-centered care.
We partner with UC Berkeley’s Investigative Reporting Program to build awareness on aging and elevate how a variety of issues affect the lives of older adults. A recent Inside Climate News feature shares how a pilot program in California is helping communities with older adults prepare for wildfires and other climate disasters by training in-home caregivers.
A Health Affairs article highlights how person-centered care can help achieve the triple aim of high-quality, cost-effective care that improves health outcomes. Learn more about solutions to advance person-centered care and improve health equity.
Also, join us tomorrow for a webinar to find out why person-centered care matters.
