Insurance for Long-Term Care

Abstract

IS insurance for long-term care an idea whose time has come? Possibly. The recent explosion of publicity about insurance against catastrophic illness in the elderly, President Reagan's partial endorsement of Secretary Bowen's report favoring such insurance,^{1 , 2} and the striking number of related proposals, conferences, committees, bills and congressional hearings indicate widespread public interest. The American Association of Retired Persons (which has 25 million members) says that "safeguarding older Americans from the fear of catastrophic health costs" is its "top legislative priority for 1987."³ But the excitement and activity also conceal wide differences in definition of the basic problem, as well . . .