Long-Term Care Financing: Models from Abroad

Health and Income Security Brief No. 9 ~ November 2005

Summary: Many other developed countries are further along the aging curve than the United States and have already made reforms to their long-term care systems. Some have adopted a universal approach to providing public long-term care insurance, while others use means testing. Their experiences illustrate different ways to balance public financing that spreads risk with personal responsibility through cost sharing, as well as methods of targeting benefits, controlling costs, and supporting caregivers. This brief highlights and updates the findings of a comparative analysis prepared for the National Academy of Social Insurance’s study panel on long-term care, Long-Term Care Financing: Models and Issues.