Get F: Forms ARTICLES Public Financing Of Long Term Care - The ...

Medicaid is the primary payer across the nation for long-term care services.

In the United States, people who need long-term care (LTC) face a system with large gaps in care, which they must rely on friends and family to fill. Medicaid finances the majority of paid LTC, but people must exhaust their resources to qualify.

Medicare is federal health insurance for people 65 or older, and some people under 65 with certain disabilities or conditions. A federal agency called the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services runs Medicare. Because it's a federal program, Medicare has set standards for costs and coverage.

Medicaid, the state-administered program for people with low income, and other public insurance sources — COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Children's Health Insurance Program, among others — account for the majority of all long-term care funding ($230 billion).

Medicaid, the primary funder for LTSS, is a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people who have limited resources. It also covers things that are not usually covered by Medicare, like personal care services. Learn more about Medicaid.

In the U.S., Medicaid is the primary source of coverage for long-term care services and supports, financing over half of these services in 2020.

In most cases, people must find other means of paying for long-term care. They may rely on a variety of payment sources, including personal funds, federal and state government programs, and private financing options.

Medicaid pays for more than half of all long-term care in the U.S.9 Coverage and eligibility vary by state, however. To qualify for Medicaid coverage in some states, adults with long-term care needs must have monthly incomes below a specified threshold.