Medicaid long-term services and supports

GAO: Improvement Needed in MLTSS Oversight

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services needs to improve the job it does overseeing state Medicaid programs of managed long-term services and supports. According to a new report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, 22 states use MLTSS programs to help qualified seniors continue living independently in the community and to save money on nursing home costs. CMS’s oversight of these efforts, and of the use of federal funds, is inconsistent and often falls short when monitoring key considerations such as provider network adequacy, critical incidents, and appeals and grievances. To address these concerns, the GAO recommends that CMS [...]

States Lag in Reducing Nursing Home Utilization

States are not making adequate progress toward keeping seniors and the disabled out of nursing homes by making greater use of home and community-based services. Or so concludes a new study from AARP. According to the study, only nine states and Washington, D.C. spend more on home and community-based services and long-term services and supports than on nursing homes. Minnesota leads the nation, spending 69 percent of its long-term-care money on home and community-based services. Other leaders include Washington state (65 percent), New Mexico (64 percent), and Alaska (63 percent). Alabama pulls up the rear with only 14 percent. The [...]