Toward a High-Performing System of Long-Term Services and Supports
<p>With its promise of enhanced federal funding, the health reform law can help states reorient their systems of long-term care away from nursing homes and institutional care and toward a greater emphasis on home- and community-based services. The idea is to enable states and communities to respond better to diverse needs and preferences while also supporting the important role of family caregivers. </p>
<p>In a Commonwealth Fund–supported <a href="/publications/journal-article/2011/mar/how-affordable-care-act-can-help-move-states-toward-high">article</a> in the new issue of <em>Health Affairs</em>, researchers led by Susan Reinhard of the AARP Public Policy Institute set out to define long-term services and supports, outline the key characteristics of a high-performing long-term care system, and discuss new options and incentives in the Affordable Care Act that can support cost-effective ways to help people with limitations or disabilities remain in their homes and communities. </p>
<p>To help states assess their current systems and plan for the future, Reinhard and her team from AARP, The Commonwealth Fund, and the SCAN Foundation are currently at work developing a state-level performance scorecard of long-term services and supports. Watch for it later this summer. </p>