Although appreciative of a commitment to older adults, Indiana’s senior living industry has some concerns about at least one aspect of the state’s legislative agenda for the year.
During a January state of the state address, outgoing Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) laid out his 2024 Next Level Agenda, which includes the development of a Multisector Plan for Aging. But it also addressed a transition to Medicaid managed care in Indiana’s long-term services and supports sector.
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, or FSSA, will launch a new PathWays for Aging initiative this year for older adults who receive Medicaid benefits, and it will encourage almost 75% of Hoosiers to age in place or in their homes. The goal of the initiative is to decrease the time it takes to qualify for and receive services by expanding the state’s expedited eligibility pilot for the Medicaid Aged & Disabled waiver.
Although the program will not change or expand Medicaid benefits, it will provide individuals with a care and services coordinator to help older adults access all of the benefits for which they qualify. The state said that approximately 120,000 Hoosier qualify for the program, which opened enrollment in February to begin providing coverage in July.
“This transformative initiative will necessarily swell the number of assisted living Medicaid waiver recipients and related providers in ways that are not yet fully understood,” LeadingAge Indiana President and CEO Eric Essley told McKnight’s Senior Living. “So, while long-term care providers applaud the governor’s attention to seniors and his recognition of the need to find new ways to care for this aging population, we are cautious about the prospect of this many Hoosiers receiving care at home or other higher-acuity [needs] assisted living arrangements.”
Essley added that he trusts the state task force and study committees thought through the “most obvious hurdles” of proper funding and appropriate staffing to care for the state’s older adults at home and in assisted living communities.
Paul Peaper, president of the Indiana Health Care Association / Indiana Center for Assisted Living, told McKnight’s Senior Living that “forward-thinking plans are necessary to ensure Indiana continues to have adequately resourced care options along the care continuum.”
And although it’s unclear what priorities the next administration will adopt — Holcomb is term-limited and cannot run for re-election — both Essley and Peaper said that their organizations and providers are committed to helping to advance the 2024 Next Level Agenda.
According to Indiana, 25 other states already have a managed LTSS program from which FSSA will draw best practices, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Ohio and South Carolina do not have MLTSS for individuals other than those who are dually eligible.
Plan for aging also on the agenda
The FSSA also has been tasked with creating a Multisector Plan for Aging in collaboration with public, private and independent sectors. The 10-year guide will include solutions to position the state to best address the current and future needs of its growing aging population across the lifespan, focusing on housing, transportation, employment, income security and health.
Kristen Laeace, CEO of the Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging, applauded Holcomb for including a plan for aging, saying the opportunities for collaboration among state agencies, public officials and the private sector is “historic,” encouraging all stakeholders to actively engage in the effort.
A nationwide grant program recently was proposed to give states up to $32.5 million collectively to develop master plans for aging to support the “massive demographic shift” in the aging population.
At least 24 states are implementing, developing or initiating comprehensive plans to address the needs of older adults: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington.
