Abstract:

The elderly and disabled increasingly shun nursing homes, instead seeking the homey settings and greater autonomy of assisted living. But the comforts of home do not come cheap. Most seniors opting for assisted living pay out of their own pockets - making their living situations only as stable as their bank accounts. The changing face of long-term care means lawmakers must wrestle with politically painful changes to accommodate the shift - no easy feat when they are already struggling to curb Medicare and Medicaid costs. The National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare faces mounting pressure to include long-term care in its reform recommendations to Congress next month. Most observers are pessimistic that Congress will take up the issue anytime soon.