On May 28, 2009 the Senior Agenda Coalition sponsored a Community Forum on “Rebalancing Long-Term Care: Lessons Learned from Other States”. Four nationally-known presenters explained how other states had “rebalanced” their long-term care systems toward a “50-50” goal of expending 50¢ of every Medicaid dollar on home and community-based services (HCBS) and reducing expenditures on nursing home care. Rhode Island currently spends about 12¢ of every Medicaid dollar on HCBS.

To learn more, examine these presentations from our Forum:

Charles Reed , architect of Washington State 's long-term care reform, said you need to start with the right core values. “Persons with disabilities and their families are entitled.

Susan Reinhardt , Director of AARP's Public Policy Institute, presented a comprehensive national perspective on states' progress toward “rebalancing”.

Chuck Milligan, Director of the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland , Baltimore County , described New Mexico's CoLTS managed care system for long-term care.