On January 11, 2024, Paragon’s panel discussion Long-term Care: The Event was referenced in McKinghts Senior Living’s article “Public policy must address flaws in long-term care financing, experts say.”
From the article:
Public policy needs to address flaws in Medicaid funding and encourage private planning for long-term care, according to experts speaking Tuesday during a panel discussion hosted by the Paragon Health Institute.
“Long-term care in America is broken. It’s marked by nursing home bias, too little home care, dubious access and quality, inadequate caregiver shortages, stressed out unpaid family caregivers and growing complaints of structural racism,” said Stephen Moses, president of the Center for Long-Term Care Reform and author of “Long-Term Care: The Problem” and “Long-Term Care: The Solution.”
The center promotes universal access to quality long-term care by encouraging private financing as an alternative to Medicaid for most Americans.
“Everyone bewails these problems, but few ask or explain their cause. Most jump to solutions that involve more government money and regulation, but arguably government money and regulation cause these problems,” Moses said.
The lure of “social insurance,” he said, has prevented policymakers from thinking clearly about potential market-based options.
According to Moses, Medicaid created a “moral hazard” that discourages consumers from using their private savings to pay for their long-term healthcare needs, and it places the burden on taxpayers to pay for such expenses.
