Maximus seeks state Medicaid LTC business

Traditionally, Medicaid has paid for nursing home benefits for poor people.

Medicare has paid for home health care for older people with health problem, and skilled nursing facility care for enrollees recovering from conditions that led to hospitalization. But, in theory, Medicare has not paid for the kind of LTC services needed to help older people who are no longer able to handle the activities of daily living (ADLs).

Dual-eligibles programs have given Medicare program managers a way to get more involved with managing enrollees' use of LTC services.

Bruce Caswell, president of Maximus, noted in a statement in the press release that only one-third of Americans ages 65 and older have enough financial assets to pay for even one year of nursing home services, and that 19 percent of the U.S. population is expected to be in that age category by 2030.

"Now is the time for states to address this anticipated increase in demand for long-term care services, by finding new approaches to strengthen performance and improve efficiencies within their current LTC programs," Caswell said.