Corporation for Long-Term Care Certification E-Alert

December 7, 2007

National Commission Issues Broad Recommendations on LTC System Reform

The National Commission for Quality Long-Term Care, a bi-partisan group of 22 members led by former lawmakers Bob Kerrey and Newt Gingrich, has issued a 94-page report calling for a federal overhaul of the long-term care system. Their recommendations include better standards of care quality that enable consumers to compare all forms of LTC easily; better training, pay and incentives for caregivers; greater reliance on electronic health record technology; and a new way to make care affordable, stressing individual responsibility for financing with both the public and private sectors also playing a role.

The Commission's bi-partisan make-up prevented it from formulating a specific plan of action. Rather, the commission is urging Congress to hold hearings in 2008 to investigate specific strategies for improvement. Presidential candidates are being urged to address the matter and present a formal plan in the 2009 State of the Union address.

The Commission sponsored a September, 2007 survey of registered voters showed bi-partisan support for LTC system reforms. 92% of respondents believe such reform is important, while 69% say Presidential candidates have paid little, if any, attention to the subject. 77% would support a system of small voluntary contributions ($50/month) that they could tap if they needed to finance care.

The panel did not issue specific recommendations on financing LTC. However, Newt Gingrich spoke out on the subject at a recent news conference, saying, "We do not need a financing system which transfers power to a bureaucracy, we need a financing system which empowers the individual, which empowers the family, and helps them."

"We very much do not want to see this become a government-only program, but we don't think it can be truly voluntary or purely private."

You can read the Commission's reports here.