State Options That Expand Access to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services October 1, 2011 Report This background paper examines various aspects of the Medicaid program that can expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) and rebalance long-term care spending in favor of HCBS. As a result of the long-standing requirement that states cover facility-based care, the majority of Medicaid long-term care (LTC) expenditures historically…
The Distribution of Assets in the Elderly Population Living in the Community June 1, 2005 Issue Brief Individuals cannot qualify for Medicaid nursing home care or home and community-based services unless they meet their state's asset eligibility standards. Currently, states are required to examine all transfers for less than fair market value that occurred within 36 months prior to an individual's application for Medicaid. This issue paper…
An Overview of the Independence Plus Initiative to Promote Consumer-Direction of Services in Medicaid November 30, 2003 Issue Brief This issue brief provides an overview of the Independence Plus Initiative, compares core program features with the Cash and Counseling Demonstration program, and discusses several policy issues that arise in the implementation of this initiative.Issue Paper (.pdf)
Medicaid as a Long-Term Care Program: Current Benefits and Flexibility November 29, 2003 Issue Brief This brief focuses on one subset of “flexibility” issues: the current federal benefits and cost-sharing rules that apply with respect to long-term care.Issue Paper (.pdf)
Private Long-Term Care Insurance: Who Should Buy It and What Should They Buy? February 27, 2003 Report Private Long-Term Care Insurance: Who Should Buy It and What Should They Buy?Despite the growing interest in private long-term care insurance (LTCI), there has been little independent examination of how much protection LTCI policies provide consumers or whether LTCI policies are a worthwhile purchase for people of average means. This…
Long-Term Care: Medicaid’s Role and Challenges November 2, 1999 Issue Brief Long-Term Care: Medicaid's Role and ChallengesThis Policy Brief examines Medicaid's role in providing long-term care services. It describes long-term care services, the population that needs these services, and how people get long-term care services. It provides an overview of health insurance coverage of persons with long-term care needs and describes…
Profiles of Disability: Employment and Health Coverage September 2, 1999 Report This Background Paper presents information on the disabled population, as well as alternative definitions of disability and the resulting impact on population estimates of the disabled population. In addition, this paper presents a profile of non-elderly persons with disabilities, including work status and health insurance coverage, and concludes with a…
Medicaid Eligibility for Individuals with Disabilities May 2, 2000 Issue Brief This issue paper updates the July 1999 report and provides a general overview of federal Medicaid eligibility policy for the low-income disabled population. This paper focuses on four broad groups of individuals with disabilities: children under 18; adults under 65 who are not living in institutions; adults under 65 who…
Pandemic-Era Changes to Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS): A Closer Look at Family Caregiver Policies September 19, 2023 Issue Brief Drawing from KFF’s 50-state survey of state Medicaid HCBS officials, conducted between May and August of 2023, this issue brief describes how states used the PHE authorities to strengthen their HCBS programs, changes as the PHE ends, and the role of family caregivers in providing HCBS.
End of Pandemic-Era Policies in Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services Could Challenge Family Caregivers and Enrollees September 19, 2023 News Release Family caregivers played a key role in supporting people who used Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS) during the COVID pandemic. Many states used new pandemic-era authorities to support and pay family caregivers and maintain services in other ways amid workforce shortages and other challenges. Now, several states are ending…