Discuss the causes in this country that have made long-term care such a major component of service in the health care system.
Long-term care has continued to receive a lot of attention in the United States of America because it is one of the key components of the health care system. The country has realized the need for improved long-care delivery because of the number of old-aged people keeps increasing each year. The number of old-aged people rose from about six million in 2005 to nine million in 2010. The projections are the number will likely reach twelve million in the year 2020. Better nutrition, sanitation, and improved medical care have made it possible for many people to celebrate their seventieth birthdays. The U.S. population is getting older with more Americans reaching the age of 65 years and above. These facts call for an urgent need to make long-term care an important component of the healthcare system.
On the other hand, the country has realized most aged people undergo many sufferings because they lack necessary funds to cater for the long-term care given in hospitals or at home. The country made long-term care an important component of making citizens get more prepared for medical needs associated with old age. Most Americans end up selling all their assets that they took long to acquire to cater for long-term care needs. The government has introduced new insurance incentives that ensure people save for their old-age health care needs. The American health care sector should call for long-term care policy that mainly discusses the process of making health insurance a universal requirement.
What are the major challenges our society faces regarding delivering and supporting long-term care?
The society faces many challenges to deliver and support long-term care. The issue of cost acts as the major challenge to the society. An average American spends approximately $42,000 every year in an assisted long-term care, $87,000 in a nursing home, and $184,000 for home health care program. Additionally, an approximate 80 percent of people reaching the age of 65 will need long-term care. The majority of people in need of long-term care are not in a position to afford such amount of money; hence, a major challenge to delivering and supporting long-term care. Poor decisions when it comes to planning for long-term care insurance contributes towards the above named challenge. Most people, especially the young people, fail to plan earlier for their old.
Secondly, despite the call by the government to undertake long-term care insurance premiums at the younger age, most insurance companies offering such premiums have left the business. The available insurance companies have raised premiums and offer fewer benefits making it hard for people to cater for long-term care needs. On the other hand, fewer people enroll to long-term care insurance at old age making it hard for the insurance company to cater for overall expenses because of the limited amount of premiums. Most Americans rely on family members to offer long-term care. Additionally, others opt for home health agencies to care for their loved ones. The above methods create a significant challenge because most caregivers lack adequate skills and equipment needed to deliver quality long-term care services. The enhancement of long-term care is complicated because providers focus on managing complex cases in patients presenting multiple health care needs, unlike in acute care where patients have not diversified needs.
