Case management agency systems of administering long-term care: evidence from the channeling demonstration

Proposals to expand public financing of home care are currently receiving serious consideration. This paper examines what was learned from the Channeling demonstration about the potential of case management agency systems for administering home care benefits. The Channeling experience points to a number of potential advantages: substitution of lower cost for higher cost services, negotiation of lower prices for services, and quality assurance. It also identified potential disadvantages: difficulty controlling participation rates and the high cost of the case management agency system itself.