The Commission on Long-Term Care has released its full report to Congress, but some commissioners broke ranks, saying the bipartisan panel did not fulfill its mandate to offer recommendations for comprehensive reform.
The 114-page report, issued Sept. 18, offers a broad array of potential long-term care reforms, based on public comments and hearings, and the 15 members’ expertise.
However, the commission could not agree on a system for financing long-term care. The report describes different “approaches” to consider.
This failure makes the group’s work largely pointless, said commissioner Judy Feder, Ph.D., of Georgetown University and the Urban Institute.
Feder and four other Democratic-appointed commissioners released a separate report, recommending a social insurance program for long-term care.
“Private insurance can be part of the solution, but we need a public program that provides security,” Feder told McKnight’s.
While provider groups applauded the effort, other observers noted Congress is not required to act on the report, and called the group’s work a futile exercise.
From the November 01, 2013 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
