Community-Based Long-Term Care: Wisconsin Stays Ahead

This report describes a site visit to Wisconsin in August 2007 that focused on the use of home and community-based services, both public and private, to delay or avoid the need for institutional care. Wisconsin was chosen because it has long been a leader among states in developing such services for the elderly and persons with disabilities. At the time of the visit, a managed long-term care program, Family Care, was operating on a pilot basis in five counties. The Partnership Program, a four-site demonstration integrating acute and long-term care for the dual eligible population (both frail elderly and younger persons with disabilities who are eligible for Medicare and Medicaid), was in the process of transitioning to a set of Medicare Special Needs Plans. Site visit participants visited Partnership operations in Madison and talked with representatives of Family Care in rural Richland County. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, state officials, service providers, caregivers, and beneficiaries also participated in panel sessions and informal discussions