REPORT: Investing in Paid Caregivers Necessary to Strengthening LTSS System

A greater investment must be made in the U.S. long-term services and supports (LTSS) system if it hopes to attract enough caregivers to meet the rising demand for care, a new report (pdf) from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) concludes.

“Experts suggest that the caregiver workforce is insufficient to deliver the services and supports necessary to meet future needs,” the report’s conclusion states, “and unless the nation addresses the means of financing care, wages will continue to be low, and there will be little incentive for individuals to choose a career as a caregiver.”

The report presents a set of recommendations to improve the financing of the nation’s LTSS system through a variety of both private- and public-sector means.

For example, the BPC calls for eliminating “statutory and regulatory barriers” that it says is hindering the growth of the long-term care insurance market. 

It also suggests that a targeted tax credit should be developed to help taxpayers who are not eligible for Medicaid to cover the cost of certain LTSS expenses.

Throughout 2016, the report says, BPC leaders will “continue to refine and improve these recommendations and will explore ways to better integrate clinical services, LTSS, and community-based services to assure improvements in the delivery of care.”

— by Matthew Ozga