Long-Term Care and Medicare Policy: Can We Improve the Continuity of Care? (Conference of the National Academy of Social Insurance)

As the population ages, policymakers must evaluate the nation's readiness to assist a growing group of people with conditions requiring chronic and long-term care. Based on the 2002 annual meeting of the National Academy of Social Insurance, this new volume offers a variety of viewpoints from policymakers, researchers, and experts who examine how well the needs of the elderly and disabled Americans are being met by today's financing and delivery systems, in light of potential reform options. Particular attention is paid to care coordination issues—namely, the impact of acute-care policies on long-term and chronic care—to draw attention to how the segmentation of healthcare provision can create disruptions in patient care. Authors address the advantages and disadvantages of varying levels of state, federal, and private involvement in long-term care. Clearly, for people to access appropriate long-term care today and tomorrow, a careful balance of financing sources and integrated health care must be achieved. Researchers, analysts, and policymakers, therefore, will find this volume useful to informing thoughtful analysis of important long-term care issues. Preface / Cristina Boccuti [and Others] -- Part I. Chronic And Long-term Care : What Are The Needs? -- Long-term-care Needs Of Elders And Persons With Disability / Christine Bishop -- Reality Of Caring For The Long-term-care Population / Robyn Stone -- Planning For And Financing Long-term Care / Robert B. Friedland -- Commentary On Part One / Maribeth Bersani, Ingrid Mcdonald, Paul Yakoboski -- Part Ii. Care For The Elderly And Disabled Under The American Social Contract -- Evolution Of The American Social Contract For Care / Theodore R. Marmor -- Medicare Coverage For Chronic Conditions : The Hiv-aids Example / Chris Collins, June Eichner -- Commentary On Part Two / Michael Hash, Shelley I. White-means -- Part Iii. Prospects For Long-term-care Policymaking At State And Federal Levels -- Perspective On The Politics Of Long-term Care / Judith Feder -- The View From The Office Of The Assistant Secretary For Planning And Evaluation / Ruth Katz -- The Role Of States In Long-term-care Reform / Joshua M. Wiener -- Long-term-care Policy In The New Reality / David Durenberger -- Commentary On Part Three / John Rother, Joanne Silberner -- Part Iv. Building On Experience : What Have We Learned About Meeting Needs For Chronic And Long-term Care? -- Ensuring Quality In Long-term-care Settings / Catherine Hawes -- Importance Of Interdisciplinary Teams To Support Self-care : The Example Of Kaiser Permanente / Bruce Fireman -- Chronic-care Initiatives : What We Have Learned And Implications For The Medicare Program / Marty Lynch, Carroll Estes, Mauro Hernandez -- Commentary On Part Four / Jennie Chin Hansen, Bruce C. Vladeck -- Part V. Visions For The Future : How Might We Meet Tomorrow's Needs For Chronic And Long-term Care? -- Private Long-term-care Solutions : The Government As Employer / John Cutler -- The Life Care Annuity : A Better Approach To Financing Long-term Care And Retirement Income / Mark Warshawsky -- Long-term Care For The Elderly : Lessons From Abroad / Mark Merlis -- Caring Communities : What Would It Take? / Deborah Stone -- Meeting Tomorrow's Need For Chronic And Long-term Care / Charles J. Fahey -- Commentary On Part Five / Richard Bringewatt, William Scanlon -- Epilogue : National Policymakers On Long-term-care Policy / Benjamin Cardin, Thomas A. Scully, Mark Mcclellan. David Blumenthal ... [et Al.], Editors. This Book Is Based On Papers Delivered At The Fourteenth Annual Conference Of The National Academy Of Social Insurance, Held January 24-25, 2002, At The National Press Club In Washington, D.c.--p. Vii. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. As the population ages, policymakers must evaluate the nation's readiness to assist a growing group of people with conditions requiring chronic and long-term care. Based on the 2002 annual meeting of the National Academy of Social Insurance, this new volume offers a variety of viewpoints from policymakers, researchers, and experts who examine how well the needs of elderly and disabled Americans are being met by today's financing and delivery systems, in light of potential reform options. Particular attention is paid to care coordination issues -- namely, the impact of acute-care policies on long-term and chronic care -- to draw attention to how the segmentation of health care provision can create disruptions in patient care.Authors address the advantages and disadvantages of varying levels of state, federal, and private involvement in long-term care. Clearly, for people to access appropriate long-term care today and tomorrow, a careful balance of financing sources and integrated health care must be achieved. Researchers, analysts, and policymakers, therefore, will find this volume useful to informing thoughtful analysis of important long-term care issues. How well are the needs of elderly and disabled Americans being met by healthcare financing and delivery systems in light of potential reform options? Policymakers, researchers, and experts contribute varying answers to this question in essays based on a 2002 meeting of the National Academy of Social Insurance. In their analyses of the advantages and disadvantages of varying levels of state, federal, and private long-term care, the authors draw attention to how the segmentation of health care provision can create disruptions for patients. Chapters include planning and financing long-term care, Kaiser Permanente's example of the importance of interdisciplinary teams to support self-care, and long-term care lessons from abroad. The volume is distributed by Brookings Institution Press. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)