Long-term care financing: Aligning financing and delivery in long-term care
Lessons for low- and middle-income settings : Brief 5
Overview
Countries allocate long-term care (LTC) resources across different delivery settings to balance the aims of financial protection, financial sustainability and equitable service coverage for beneficiaries with wide variations in need.
Nursing homes remain a major expenditure category in developed LTC systems; however, trends show a shift in service provision from institutions to home and community settings, which may reflect individual preferences.
Integrating health or social services within LTC financing and delivery systems may promote access among beneficiaries who might otherwise face difficulties in navigating systems to meet their care needs.
Governments can choose to provide care directly or purchase LTC
services from private non-profit or for-profit organizations; however,
when purchasing services, governments remain responsible for
implementation decisions, such as enrolling and accrediting eligible
providers, establishing beneficiary eligibility, setting reimbursement
rates and monitoring compliance with quality standards.