McCourt School of Public Policy , USA.
Georgetown University , Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
J Aging Soc Policy. 2020 Jul-Oct;32(4-5):350-357. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2020.1771238. Epub 2020 May 22.
The economic threat posed by responses to COVID 19 endangers financing for long-term care across the states that is already inadequate and inequitable. Increasing the federal share of Medicaid spending as unemployment rises would mitigate fiscal pressure on states and preserve public services. But unlike the demand for Medicaid's health care protections, which rises when economic activity declines, the demand for long-term care protections will grow even in a healthy economy as the population ages. Enhanced federal support is urgent not only to cope with the virus today but also to meet the long-term care needs of the nation's aging population in the years to come. Long-term care financing policy should be modified to either adjust federal matching funds by the age of each state's population, or fully federalize the funding of LTC expenses of Medicaid beneficiaries who are also eligible for Medicare.
应对新冠疫情的措施所带来的经济威胁，危及了本已不足且不公平的各州长期护理融资。随着失业率的上升，增加联邦政府在医疗补助支出中的份额，将减轻各州的财政压力，同时保护公共服务。但与经济活动下降时对医疗补助保健保护需求上升不同，即使在经济健康的情况下，随着人口老龄化，对长期护理保护的需求也会增长。不仅是为了应对当前的病毒，而且是为了满足未来多年来国家老龄化人口的长期护理需求，联邦政府急需提供更多支持。应修改长期护理融资政策，要么根据各州人口年龄调整联邦配套资金，要么将符合医疗保险条件的医疗补助受益人的长期护理费用全部由联邦政府出资。
