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Poverty is defined by comparing household income with the minimum income required for basic needs. People whose income is below the threshold are considered poor.
Congress should mandate the use of the Supplemental Poverty Meas
Federal and state programs help many older people with low incomes. These programs provide access to vital services like income support and health care.
Public-benefit programs should ensure that families headed by grandparents and other caregiver relatives receive sufficient support for economic security and well-being.
Program participant cost-sharing for either community or institutional services should be modest. It should not favor one type of service over another.
Some tax revenues for a new LTSS program should be earmarked to an LTSS trust fund. This would build adequate reserves to cover later generations.
The federal government should create a public social insurance benefit that provides coverage for LTSS. It should be within Medicare or in a new public program.
Until a comprehensive national LTSS program is implemented, the following intermediate steps should be taken:
The federal and state governments should conduct regular, thorough, and consistent oversight. Oversight should include evaluation of consumer outcomes to the extent feasible.
Consumers and their family caregivers, as appropriate, should be the focus of all LTSS programs and services.