Dataset Information

Long-term Care Financing: Inserting Politics and Resource Allocation in the Debate Comment on "Financing Long-term Care: Lessons From Japan".

ABSTRACT: The ageing of the countries' populations, and in particular the growing number of the very old, is increasing the need for long-term care (LTC). Not surprisingly, therefore, the financing of LTC systems has become a crucial topic across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In the last three decades, various financing policies have been carried out in different countries and the related international debate has grown. The latter has so far focused mostly on the different alternatives to collect economic resources to pay for care. The international debate needs now to focus also on other issues, so far less discussed. One is the politics of LTC: the degree and nature of the political interest in LTC, that affects the size and profile of public financing. The other is resource allocation: how different services and benefits are distributed among people with different care needs, that determines if resources made available are optimized. If we do not pay more attention to these issues - inextricably connected to policies aimed to collect funds - our understanding of LTC financing will remain inevitably limited.

SUBMITTER: Gori C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7054648 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Long-term Care Financing: Inserting Politics and Resource Allocation in the Debate Comment on "Financing Long-term Care: Lessons From Japan".

Gori Cristiano C

International journal of health policy and management 20200201 2

The ageing of the countries' populations, and in particular the growing number of the very old, is increasing the need for long-term care (LTC). Not surprisingly, therefore, the financing of LTC systems has become a crucial topic across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In the last three decades, various financing policies have been carried out in different countries and the related international debate has grown. The latter has so far focused mostly on the diffe ...[more]

PMID: 32124591

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Project description:ObjectivesTo identify, chart and analyse the literature on recent initiatives to improve long-term care (LTC) coverage, financial protection and financial sustainability for persons aged 60 and older.DesignRapid scoping review.Data sourcesFour databases and four sources of grey literature were searched for reports published between 2017 and 2022. After using a supervised machine learning tool to rank titles and abstracts, two reviewers independently screened sources against inclusion criteria.Eligibility criteriaStudies published from 2017-2022 in any language that captured recent LTC initiatives for people aged 60 and older, involved evaluation and directly addressed financing were included.Data extraction and analysisData were extracted using a form designed to answer the review questions and analysed using descriptive qualitative content analysis, with data categorised according to a prespecified framework to capture the outcomes of interest.ResultsOf 24 reports, 22 were published in peer-reviewed journals, and two were grey literature sources. Study designs included quasi-experimental study, policy analysis or comparison, qualitative description, comparative case study, cross-sectional study, systematic literature review, economic evaluation and survey. Studies addressed coverage based on the level of disability, income, rural/urban residence, employment and citizenship. Studies also addressed financial protection, including out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures, copayments and risk of poverty related to costs of care. The reports addressed challenges to financial sustainability such as lack of service coordination and system integration, insufficient economic development and inadequate funding models.ConclusionsInitiatives where LTC insurance is mandatory and accompanied by commensurate funding are situated to facilitate ageing in place. Efforts to expand population coverage are common across the initiatives, with the potential for wider economic benefits. Initiatives that enable older people to access the services needed while avoiding OOP-induced poverty contribute to improved health and well-being. Preserving health in older people longer may alleviate downstream costs and contribute to financial sustainability.

Dataset Information

Long-term Care Financing: Inserting Politics and Resource Allocation in the Debate Comment on "Financing Long-term Care: Lessons From Japan".

Publications

Long-term Care Financing: Inserting Politics and Resource Allocation in the Debate Comment on "Financing Long-term Care: Lessons From Japan".

Similar Datasets

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