Through Long-Term Care Partnership (LTCP) policies, consumers are protected from having to become impoverished in order to qualify for Medicaid to cover long-term care needs. Partnership policies ensure that consumers get access to expedited care assessment and management services and states avoid the full burden of long-term care costs. Cost-effectiveness — for consumers and public purchasers — is the key rationale behind LTCP programs. Cost-effectiveness, however, depends on the confluence of a variety of factors, including which consumers to target, what policy features will help achieve cost-effectiveness, and the influence of Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) legislation.

This brief reviews considerations for states in how to design and market Partnership programs to achieve cost-effectiveness. It is the third in a series of briefs produced through CHCS’ Long-Term Care Partnership Expansion project.