ing and Long-Term Care Ag ka

~ high propol1iun of Nebraska's population is age 6') or older and this is the fastest,r:J\\'il;g segment of the population. The population aged 8') years and older, which is the \(lllliation l11,,;,t in need of long · term care, grew by over 4') percent between 1970 and \9~O, and is expected to increase by 202 percent by the year 2000, 111is group includes IIldi\'idlials \VI1O are likely to require public assistance to help meet their medical and I,,ng term l1L'alth care needs, We estimate that the cost to the state to provi~e Medicaid:L,-,istanCc will increase from $60.4 mllllun to $164,,) nuillon over the next b years, 5 Issues of increasing importance and complexity revolve around the.ll;ing population. This is especially true in Nebraska, one of the " oldest",;;ttes, A brief overview of some of the most relevant issues are presented; then, we focus on an issue of immediate and long-term concern to \ehraska's policymakers-institutional care of the aged. Overview 'n1e number of older people in the state and the nation has increased tremendously during this century, and it will continue to increa<;e, along \\ith the percentage of our population that is older than 65. u.s. Bureau of the Census (1984) figures indicate that in 1900, there were about 3:11illion Americans over the age of 65, about 4 percent of the u.s, 11()puiation, In 1985, there were more than 28 million individuals in thi