Demographic trends among America’s growing older adult population forecast much greater racial and ethnic diversity. In fact, the Administration for Community Living projects that the number of older adults who identify as African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, and Hispanic is expected to grow by 115% by 2040. Because people are living longer, it is more likely that they will experience the need for long-term services and supports (LTSS). The service system must adapt to the needs of this growing and more diverse population – a population already experiencing the impacts of ongoing unmet needs. Many of these older adults are served by both Medicare and Medicaid and as the latter program has expanded access to home and community-based care (HCBS), a question arises: is the system currently meeting their needs and is it robust enough to address growing future needs? The research presented in this project suggests that it is not.

I talked to so many families – even now as a researcher – that have no idea where to even start in terms of finding services, whether they’ll be eligible, misunderstandings about Medicaid eligibility.
– Academic Researcher from Key Informant Interviews

With support from Arnold Ventures, this project set out to explore whether the HCBS system is prepared to meet the needs of this growing and increasingly diverse aging population. More specifically, whether the system is prepared to meet the needs of an aging dually eligible population from communities of color.

Read the report here
Group of Logos for Institute for Community Health, LeadingAge LTSS Center at UMass Boston, and Community Catalyst

Resources

A Community Listening Session to Share and Validate Qualitative Findings, Institute for Community Health, March 2023

HCBS Key Informant Interviews: Initial Analysis, The Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation at Community Catalyst

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Home and Community-Based Services Among Individuals Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid: An Environmental Scan of the Literature, The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and The Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation at Community Catalyst, May 2022

Understanding the Impact and Utilization of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Among Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees of Color, Institute of Health, December 2022

Understanding the Utilization and Impacts of Home and Community Based Care Among Racial and Ethnic Dually Eligible Populations Using Home and Community-Based Services, The LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston and The Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation at Community Catalyst, June 2022