What’s Wrong Wednesday: Home And Community Based Services Versus Living In A Nursing Home

10.5 percent of North Dakota Medicaid and state funded Long-Term Services and Support spending is going to home and community based services for older adults and adults with physical disabilities.  North Dakota ranks 51^st in the nation in this category of Long-Term Services and Supports.  If North Dakota improved to the level of “best-performing states”, 786 more older adults and people with disabilities would receive home and community based services instead of having to live in a nursing home facility; and 882 nursing home residents with low care needs would instead be able to receive Long Term Services and Supports in the community versus living in a nursing home.

60 percent of Minnesota Medicaid and state funded Long-Term Services and Support spending is going to home and community based services for older adults and adults with physical disabilities.  Minnesota ranks 3^rd in the nation in this category of Long-Term Services and Support.  Even though Minnesota ranks 3^rd in the nation, if Minnesota improved to the level of “best performing states”, 4,249 nursing home residents with low care needs would instead be able to receive Long Term Services and Supports in the community versus living in a nursing home.

The Long-Term Services and Supports Scorecard is the first of its kind: the scorecard measures state-level performance of Long-Term Services and Support systems that provide assistance to older adults and people with disabilities.  The Scorecard examines state performance across four key areas:  1) affordability and access; 2) choice of setting and provider; 3) quality of life and quality of care; 4) support for family givers.  For more information on the State Scorecard on Long-Term Services and Supports for older adult and people with disabilities: www.longtermscorecard.org