Healthcare Safety Net

As the nation ages and more individuals live longer with chronic illness and disabilities, the need for long-term services and supports (LTSS) will rise.

The 11 million individuals dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid are among the highest need populations in either program. However, a lack of coordination between the Medicare and Medicaid programs makes it difficult for individuals enrolled in both to navigate these fragmented systems of care and adds to the cost of both programs.

It is widely accepted that reimbursement policies and practices are important considerations in the research and development (R&D) decisions of potential innovators of healthcare technologies, and the investors who finance them.

This study assessed individual and state-level factors which affect decisions by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) about whether to practice in primary care. Of particular interest was the impact of state scope of practice (SOP) regulations on elements of NP practice such as patient load, the flow of patient care, and the management of a patient panel decision.

Unlicensed care homes provide room, board and some level of services for two or more unrelated individuals, but are not licensed or certified by the state. These homes often serve very vulnerable individuals such as individuals with serious mental illness or other disabilities, or older adults with functional limitations and limited financial resources.

Report author: The Lewin Group

Containing the costs of health care can be useful to government, employer, and household budgets, but it may have a detrimental impact on innovation, since health care costs are the main source of revenue for medical innovators. Developers seek profits and so are attracted to industries and innovate where they believe profits can be made.