With the presidential election in less than two weeks, consumers, advocates, and providers should pay attention to what Barack Obama and Mitt Romney would do about long-term supports and services for the frail elderly and younger people with disabilities. It is hard to know for sure, because neither man has said much. Yet, between the lines, there are important messages. [...]
Thank you, Bill Clinton, for reminding us that long-term care is a big part of Medicaid. In his Democratic convention speech this week, Clinton bungled a few of the details, but told a larger truth: Big cuts in Medicaid are likely to mean lost benefits for the frail elderly and younger people with disabilities. No other major speaker at either convention ever mentioned [...]
Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's vice-presidential pick, would fundamentally remake federal health and long-term care services for the frail elderly and adults with disabilities. He'd completely restructure Medicare, slash funding for Medicaid, and likely abolish most of the other safety net programs that this vulnerable population has come rely on over the last half-century. It is fair to say that no major party candidate for [...]