Scripps report shows Ohio Medicaid costs to increase
Feb 18, 2010The study reports that if usage patterns for LTC by Medicaid-eligible Ohioans remain the same as today and if inflation rates predicted by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services are assumed, LTC costs will rise from $5 billion in 2009 to $8.6 billion by 2020, a 72 percent increase – 62 percent due to inflation and 10 percent due to an increased older population.
“Such a rapid increase in expenditures, even before the oldest of the baby boomers reach their eighties, signals a much higher growth in these expenditures beyond 2020,” Scripps senior researcher and report’s author Shahla Mehdizadeh said.
The study projects that Ohioans with a severe long-term disability will increase from the current 315,000 to about 348,000 by 2020, with the long-term disability population covered by Medicaid increasing from the current 126,000 to around 140,000 in that same time period.
The report suggests that policy makers in Ohio could possibly reduce the cost of LTC Medicaid services for older Ohioans through a combination of: increased health education (disease prevention, wellness promotion); the creation of aging friendly communities; increased home modification programs along with more assistive devices and technology; the reduction of facility-based care and greater expansion of community-based care options; and implementation of cost controls via legislation and negotiation with care providers.
The report, “Disability in Ohio: Managing the Projected Needs for Long-Term Services and Supports,” is the final report of a three-part series.
For more information on the report, please contact Shahla Mehdizadeh at 529-2914 or mehdizk@muohio.edu.
