Report finds CT long term care skewed toward nursing homes

A new report by the CT Regional Institute finds that the way we pay for long term care costs us an additional $900 million/year in Medicaid costs. Currently, CT spends 47% of our long term care funding on expensive nursing home care; we are 34th in the nation in the proportion spent on home and community based care. The study finds that current Medicaid rules and regulations make it easier to access care in nursing homes than in the community. Almost 80% of CT residents would prefer to receive care in their home than a nursing home. Over the next 15 years the number of CT residents over age 65 will increase by 40%, driving the need for long term care, but the number of residents ages 18 to 64, potential caregivers, will decrease by 5%.
Ellen Andrews