Image of male nurse pushing senior woman in a wheelchair in nursing facility

The Medicaid Commission is planning to advise that the federal government reform the long-term care portion of the Medicaid program. The commission said it would issue such a recommendation in its Dec. 31 report to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Reforming long-term care Medicaid will entail integrating and coordinating care for those dually eligible for Medicare. Other possible recommendations include reducing eligibility categories and creating incentives and flexibility for states to focus on prevention and personal responsibility.

Mark McClellan, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Raymond Scheppach, executive director of the National Governors Association, and Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA), chairman of the House Commerce Subcommittee on Health, addressed the commission last week.