Cost containment policies in long-term care.

The rapidly increasing growth of the elderly population in the United States, especially the increasing proportion of the "old old" among the elderly, has thrust long-term care--its evolution, organization, and financing--into the national limelight. In this report of the effectiveness of various policies to contain the costs of long-term care, I focus on the aggregate public costs of providing this care. I also discuss the impact of public policy on access to needed services by the vulnerable population, the quality of these services, and the quality of life of the recipients of long-term care.