A current and growing problem...access to long-term care services

In 1965, President Johnson called upon the Congress to take a giant step in improving the quality of health care received by the aged. The result was the enactment of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The two programs have been in existence almost 18 years. There is no doubt that they have had a dramatic effect in terms of bringing quality health care to Americans who previously could not afford it. The questions posed in this report consider the existing array of long-term care services and how this "non-system" can be reformed to assist the aged to receive quality medical care.