Summary: Today, an increasing number of Americans need long-term care. Unprecedented growth in the elderly population is projected for the 21st century, and the population age 85 and older--those most in need of long-term care--is expected to outpace the rate of growth for the entire elderly population. In addition to the dramatic rise in the elderly population, a large portion of the long-term care population consists of younger people with disabilities. The importance of long-term care was underscored by the 1994 congressional debate over health care reform and, more recently, by the "Contract with America," which proposed assistance such as tax deductions for long-term-care insurance and tax credits for family caregiving. This report (1) defines what is meant by "long-term care" and discusses the conditions that give rise to long-term care need, how such need is measured, and which groups--young and old--require long-term care; (2) examines the long-term care costs that are borne by federal and state governments as well as by families; (3) addresses strategies that states and foreign countries are pursuing to contain public long-term-care costs; and (4) discusses predictions by experts on the future demand for long-term care.
