A NATIONAL LONG-TERM CARE PROGRAM FOR THE UNITED-STATES - A CARING VISION

被引:25
作者
HARRINGTON, C [1 ]
CASSEL, C [1 ]
ESTES, CL [1 ]
WOOLHANDLER, S [1 ]
HIMMELSTEIN, DU [1 ]
机构
[1] HARVARD UNIV,CAMBRIDGE HOSP,SCH MED,NATL HLTH PROGRAM,1493 CAMBRIDGE ST,CAMBRIDGE,MA 02139
来源
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION | 1991年 / 266卷 / 21期
关键词
D O I
10.1001/jama.266.21.3023
中图分类号
R5 [内科学];
学科分类号
1002 ; 100201 ;
摘要
The financing and delivery of long-term care (LTC) need substantial reform. Many cannot afford essential services; age restrictions often arbitrarily limit access for the nonelderly, although more than a third of those needing care are under 65 years old; Medicaid, the principal third-party payer for LTC, is biased toward nursing home care and discourages independent living; informal care provided by relatives and friends, the only assistance used by 70% of those needing LTC, is neither supported nor encouraged; and insurance coverage often excludes critically important services that fall outside narrow definitions of medically necessary care. We describe an LTC program designed as an integral component of the national health program advanced by Physicians for a National Health Program. Everyone would be covered for all medically and socially necessary services under a single public plan, federally mandated and funded but administered locally. An LTC payment board in each state would contract directly with providers through a network of local public agencies responsible for eligibility determination and care coordination. Nursing homes, home care agencies, and other institutional providers would be paid a global budget to cover all operating costs and would not bill on a per-patient basis. Alternatively, integrated provider organizations could receive a capitation fee to cover a broad range of LTC and acute care services. Individual practitioners could continue to be paid on a fee-for-service basis or could receive salaries from institutional providers. Support for innovation, training of LTC personnel, and monitoring of the quality of care would be greatly augmented. For-profit providers would be compensated for past investments and phased out. Our program would add between $18 billion and $23.5 billion annually to current spending on LTC. Polls indicate that a majority of Americans want such a program and are willing to pay earmarked taxes to support it.
引用
收藏
页码:3023 / 3029
页数:7
相关论文
共 56 条
  • [1] BALL R, 1989, BECAUSE WERE ALL THI
  • [2] BARKER WH, 1987, ADDING LIFE YEARS OR
  • [3] THE PUBLICS VIEW OF THE FUTURE OF HEALTH-CARE
    BLENDON, RJ
    [J]. JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, 1988, 259 (24): : 3587 - 3593
  • [4] BLUMENTHAL D, 1988, RENEWING PROMISE MED
  • [5] SHOULD WE ABOLISH THE PRIVATE HEALTH-INSURANCE INDUSTRY
    BODENHEIMER, T
    [J]. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH SERVICES, 1990, 20 (02): : 199 - 220
  • [6] CALLAHAN JJ, 1989, J AGING SOC POLICY, V1, P181
  • [7] Campbell L J, 1987, Clin Geriatr Med, V3, P99
  • [8] THE BIOMEDICALIZATION OF AGING - DANGERS AND DILEMMAS
    ESTES, CL
    BINNEY, EA
    [J]. GERONTOLOGIST, 1989, 29 (05) : 587 - 596
  • [9] ESTES CL, 1990, LONG TERM CARE REQUI
  • [10] ESTES CL, 1985, INT PERSPECTIVES LON, P315