Adequate financing for long-term care, improving the quality of long-term care services, and developing an adequate, skilled workforce are some of the urgent challenges facing long-term care in the future, say four of five respondents to the latest Commonwealth Fund/Modern Healthcare Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey. Nearly four of five (79 percent) respondents favor or strongly favor adding a long-term care benefit to Medicare, financed by a premium, to pay for care.
More than two-thirds (69 percent) of respondents to the survey believe it is very important (41 percent) or important (28 percent) that the health reform plans of the presidential candidates address the quality and financing of long-term care. Opinion leaders surveyed include experts from four broad healthcare sectors: academia and research organizations; healthcare delivery; business, insurance, and other health industry; and government and advocacy groups. Elected officials and media representatives were excluded.
A majority of healthcare opinion leaders say that long-term care costs should be shared by individuals and the government (55 percent), while 26 percent say costs should be shared by individuals, employers, and the government. Read the data brief.
