No long-term solutions in current health care reform proposals.

Abstract

As this article goes to press, it is nearly impossible to predict what sort of health reform plan will ultimately be passed, if any, and whether any form of long-term care coverage will be included. The need for such coverage will not, however, diminish with the close of the current congressional session and is likely to be a topic of debate for some time. The entire process of health reform legislation has been one of paring down initial hopes and expectations, and it may take many more years, until an even larger segment of our population is aged, before log-term care coverage becomes politically and fiscally desirable enough to withstand the political process.