Statistics prove Missouri has more than an average population of residents over 65 years of age. According to the 2006 census, 13.3% of all the residents were over 65. This rate is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The total number of seniors within the state is expected to be a little less than 780,000. This figure is expected to likely increase in the coming years as well as and the growing need for assisted living and long-term care.
Elder and long-term care centres in the state are licensed and regulated by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In 2007, data showed the state’s nursing homes had an occupancy rate of 74 percent. The following year, it ranked 35th among those which had some of the least expensive nursing homes in the country. MO’s average rates for home health aides and adult day care were close to the national average; however its rate for Medicare-certified aides was lower than the national average.
Also, in a recent study conducted by The Lewin Group in 2009 presented that MO has been consistently trending higher than the national average since 2005 in terms of its proportion of Medicaid LTC spending for home-community based services. Even its nursing home facility utilization has been consistently higher as well, and unfortunately, the state is seen to have been making less progress in reducing this swell. In fact, the state is spending less per Medicaid enrolee than the rest of the country.
In addition, the study also revealed that MO received the 2nd highest rate of “low care” residents among long-stay residents. Low care is defined as not requiring assistance in any of the four late-loss activities of daily living which basically includes bed mobility, transferring, toilet use and eating. The same goes with its nursing facility occupancy which is mainly due to: (a) Medicaid indirectly subsidizes inefficient coverage of the additional overhead costs associated with extra beds, and, (b) Incentive for providers to fill as many beds as possible, instead of actively helping people to return home when they are ready.
Similar to other states, MO is bound towards facing an impending demand growth for LTC. There are findings which suggest MO must realize cost-savings in its LTC spending through cautious implementation of LTC partnership programs. This must hold that policies must be affordable and attractive to buyers in mid-lower income groups, precisely those who would otherwise not buy long term care insurance.
There are a lot of changes and developments needed for MO to have a stable LTC. This only means critical structural changes are needed to solve arising impediments to major improvements within the LTC system itself.
Study Missouri long term care insurance more! Know everything about its long term care costs and its various long term care policy options.
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