Dual Eligibles Have Unmet Long-Term Care Needs
<p>While individuals who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid represent a relatively small share of the population, they consume a disproportionate amount of health care resources. Yet, according to a new Commonwealth Fund-supported <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=19016&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D307206%26%23doc307206">study</a> published in <em>Inquiry,</em> many "dual eligibles" still struggle with unmet long-term care needs.<br><Br>In examining results from a six-state survey of elderly dual eligibles living in the community (not in nursing homes), researchers Harriet Komisar, Ph.D., and Judith Feder, Ph.D., of Georgetown University, and Judith Kasper, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University found that more than half (58%) of respondents who needed assistance with activities of daily living said they were not receiving enough help. The 1999 survey, which was cofunded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that many of those with unmet needs experienced serious problems, such as not being able to bathe or shower, or even going hungry.<br><Br>The authors say that the findings indicate paid home care could help. State Medicaid policies that expand access to paid care, they say, may be necessary to get more people needed long-term care.<Br><br>You can read a summary of the <em>Inquiry</em> article, plus download a chartpack featuring additional study findings, on the Fund's <a href="/cnlib/pub/enews_clickthrough.htm?enews_item_id=19016&return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecmwf%2Eorg%2Fpublications%2Fpublications%5Fshow%2Ehtm%3Fdoc%5Fid%3D307206%26%23doc307206">Web site.</a></p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2005/oct/dual-eligibles-have-unmet-long-term-care-needs