The significance of long-term care in health reform

The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, long-term care institutions, and housing providers applaud the proposed state entitlement program in the President's plan, because it is consistent with the belief that individuals should have autonomy and should be able to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. The author presents a convincing argument that elderly and disabled people prefer home and community-based care delivered at home or in home-like settings (aging in place) over the far more expensive nursing facility care, which is now perceived as care of the "last resort."