A Medicare Benefit for Long-Term Services and Supports Could Save Money

Medicare doesn’t cover long-term services and supports, even as increasing numbers of beneficiaries require help with daily activities. In addition to cost, resistance to adding this coverage to Medicare’s benefit package often stems from the belief that paid services will replace the informal care that family caregivers provide. But Commonwealth Fund–supported analysis by Amber Willink, Karen Davis, and colleagues finds that families using paid personal care services don’t stop providing care themselves.