I have been poring over budget documents during the past few weeks - both at the federal and state level -- and frankly, I am more concerned about the horizon than I am about this upcoming biennium. 

For years, we have talked about the lack of leadership and public policy about the financing of long-term care services at the state and national level. We have warned public officials about the demographic trends and economic outlook and now we are edging ever closer to the financial crisis point where the need for government subsidy for long term care services will far exceed the ability for government to sustain payment. 

There are plenty of potential solutions being bantered about at the state and national levels: combining Medicaid and Medicare into a new “older adult” benefit; federalizing Medicaid; establishing mechanisms for long term care savings accounts (both voluntary and mandatory); creating tax incentives for purchasing some type of coverage for long term care expenses, and so on. 

We are not short on ideas; rather, we are short on political “will” and public “belief.” Most Americans still believe that if they don’t have the money to pay for long-term care services when they need them, they will still get the services paid for by the government -- somehow. The depth of this perception goes even to the individuals in this profession, who have not addressed their own personal financing for long-term care expenses. 

So, let me throw it out to you: what would it take to get you to financially plan for your future long-term care needs and the needs of your family??