Introduction
Presently there is a question about the quality and financing of care. More than 11 million Americans need some form of long-term attention due to chronic illness. Receiving the care needed is crucial to their quality of life, but long-term treatment and care require significant resources. Since people and families often lack the supplies to provide essential assistance, the responsibility often shifts to the public sector.
The Most Crucial Problem of Aging Policy
Expenditures on care for the elderly, primarily social security and medical care, are projected to increase. Experts predict that this will reach a whopping $ 3.5 trillion in national expenditures in 2029 (Scales & Lepore, 2020). In my opinion, the central cause for such costs is that the percentage of the US community aged 65 and over has multiplied in the last 50 years. Thus, the problem is that with an aging population, there is economic stagnation. Accordingly, the financial assurance of the quality of long-term care concerns the younger generation. Although in a proportional sense, to ensure decent old-age retirees need to impose high taxes on the working group each year. It is crucial to remark that the problem of the cost and quality of care is not local but federal, so finding a compromise is essential for all parts of the system.
My Attitude to the Problem
As an interested citizen, I am concerned about the quality and constant provision of the retired. Although, the aging population leads to the creation of a large number of taxes to close the gaps in the state budget. Moreover, recognizing that the problem of low birth rate and declining population should be considered in the complex, the question of economic opportunities in 50 years arises. In view of the young population and the resources required to ensure a decent old age, I am not convinced that I will be provided with proper and quality long-term care. Even now, the government and ordinary citizens understand that the assistance system for the elderly is not excellent and needs to be changed.
There is already a deficiency of beds in nursing homes due to the inability to cover all costs with the Medicaid system. It seems that the dilemma facing the government is that improving the backup program will undermine the structure of private insurance. Hence, this obstacle is highly important to me now as a taxpayer and a potential retiree. I am concerned about the assurance of the viability of long-term health care when the government and the private sector operate independently. Therefore, I believe that the reform will be introduced quickly, which will meet the modern challenges and requirements of society.
Long-term Care Policy
Long-term care policy is associated with numerous problems, which intersect with other medical and social services and informal assistance provided at home by family and friends. Difficulties in coordinating medical and long-term care can lead to poor results for patients and become the main reason for the inefficient use of healthcare resources (Rowles & Teaster, 2016). I firmly believe that policymakers should turn their attention to this problem. Can older people be confident in receiving appropriate assistance at a price they can afford? The demand for high-quality medical care is constantly growing. At the same time, the differences in the features and accessibility of such services show that the system is not thoroughly thought out.
It is worth paying attention to and focusing on how policymakers can improve the combination of proper assistance and affordable costs. The difference in payment levels for long-term services is mainly settled by the extent to which public ones are provided. The quality of medical care also plays an essential role in cost coefficients. As the number of frail people grows, governments will have to allocate more money for long-term care, and more resources from state and private sources will be needed. Policymakers should discuss this issue because efficient planning, distribution of supplies, and outputs will improve the lives and the economic situation in the state.
Conclusion
Population aging is an inevitable and irreversible global trend. Therefore, it is necessary to identify all the problems and develop comprehensive policies affecting all human life cycle stages. Legislation related to the aging population must focus on providing living arrangements and access to quality health care. At the same time, it is necessary to allocate the budget to eliminate the negative impact on the economy.
References
Rowles, G. D., & Teaster, P. B. (2016). The long-term care continuum in an aging society. In G. D. Rowles & P. B. Teaster (Eds.), Long-term care in an aging society: Theory and practice (pp. 3–32). Springer Publishing Company.
Scales, K., & Lepore, M. J. (2020). Always essential: Valuing direct care workers in long-term care. Public Policy & Aging Report, 30(4), 173-177.
