The AARP recently issued its 18th annual report on long-term care services across the country. Entitled Across the States 2012: Profiles of Long-Term Services and Supports outlines the type of care being received by seniors and those with disabilities. It is a helpful roadmap to understand the current lay of the land with elder care and where we might be headed in the future. It offers both nationwide stats as well as New York specific information. The complete report can be found here.
New York Elder Care
Not unexpectedly, the report explains how the #1 provider of support services for seniors are unpaid family members. The care provided by family accounts for four times the care provided by Medicaid and seven times the care provided by private payments. With a growing number of seniors–particularly seniors in their 70s and 80s–the reliance on support from family and friends will no doubt remain important.
But the changing demographics will also make Medicaid stability (and flexibility) a paramount concerns for those with special needs. It is important to understand where New York currently ranks in terms of Medicaid spending and how that spending is allocated. The AARP report offers some interesting tidbits about New York elder care and planning:
–We are in the bottom half of communities with private long-term care insurance policies. About 38 people per every 1,000 over 40 years old have one of these policies. This places us 33rd in the nation.
–New York leads the nation in total Medicaid expenditures at nearly $50 billion annually.
–Similarly, our state leads the nation in total spending per person in the state for most indicators, including nursing home stays, personal care services, and home health services. Our payment rates often double, triple, or quadruple national averages.
–We are above average on the percentage of Medicaid spending on alternatives to nursing homes–ranking 14th overall. This alternative care includes home and community-based help for seniors and those with disabilities.
–However, the total amount of users as a percentage of total residents receiving support is far lower than the national average. In other words, while our total spending per person is higher on some of these alternative care measures, the percentage of residents using the services is lower than in many other parts of the country
Be sure to take a look at the full report for more information on what long-term care support is provided in the state and how that stacks up with others places across the country. To receive tailored advice on how to plan for your own golden years, take a moment to contact our New York elder law attorneys to learn more.
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