Financing Long-Term Care: Lessons From Abroad

Introduction

As the United States searches for ways to reform its system of financing long-term care, it may learn from the experiences of other developed nations. In Japan and much of Europe, public benefits for the long-term care of the aged have become a pillar of social policy, on par with retirement and health care.

Many of these nations embarked on major reforms in their long-term care programs beginning in the mid-1990s. However, they have taken quite different approaches. This brief will review the experiences of Germany, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom and highlight potential lessons for the United States.