One in three 65-year-olds will require long term care at some point in their lives. Medicaid currently covers nursing home expenses for 6 out of 10 residents. Not all those who require care need enough help to justify moving into a nursing home, but in many states Medicaid will not pay for care received at home. In these states, moving into a nursing home is the only way to get help paying for care.

The Balancing Incentives Program (BIP), which is part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), encouraged states that spend most of their Medicaid dollars on nursing home care to adopt programs and practices that extend coverage for care while living at homes, living with relatives, or living in assisted living facilities. In participating states, the BIP may have enabled some elderly to return to home and community settings or prevented them from needing to move into nursing homes. When living outside of a nursing home, low income elderly may also be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. Researchers on this webinar will discuss how the BIP changed living arrangements and receipt of SSI. Discussants from policy and practice perspectives will discuss the broader implications of this study.

Researchers: Mary Hamman, University of Wisconsin La Crosse; Brooke Helppie-McFall, University of Michigan; Daniela Hochfellner, NYU Webinar Discussants: Patti Cullen, President & CEO of Care Provideres Minnesota; Helen Levy, Research Professor at University of Michigan