The Future of Financing for Long-Term Care: The Own Your Future Campaign |
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Authors: | Michiko Iwasaki PhD Susan M McCurry PhD Soo Borson MD James A Jones PhD |
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Institution: | 1. Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counseling Psychology , West Virginia University , Morgantown, West Virginia, USA michiko.iwasaki@mail.wvu@edu;3. Research Professor, University of Washington School of Nursing, Northwest Research Group on Aging , Seattle, Washington, USA;4. Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , University of Washington School of Medicine , Seattle, Washington, USA;5. Assistant Director of Research and Design, Unified Technology Support , Ball State University , Muncie, Indiana, USA |
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Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to examine the outreach effort and impact of a joint federal-state campaign, Own Your Future, promoting awareness and planning for long-term care (LTC) in the state of Washington. The study applied survey methodology to evaluate the extent of campaign dissemination, evidence of its impact on LTC planning behaviors, and barriers to purchasing private LTC insurance. A total of 3,198 survey responses from a randomly selected community sample and a Washington State employee sample (ages 51 to 71) were analyzed. Results indicated that the impact of the campaign was limited, both with respect to awareness of the campaign itself and to initiation of LTC planning behaviors. Quantitative data revealed a high prevalence of health-related problems (e.g., obesity, diabetes), inadequate knowledge of basic LTC-related information (e.g., cost, payers), and negative attitudes toward purchasing LTC insurance among respondents. Qualitative analyses suggested that respondents perceived significant problems related to affordability and accountability within the current LTC insurance industry. These possible barriers to the purchase of LTC insurance suggest targets to be addressed by policy makers seeking to find ways to offset the public costs of LTC. |
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Keywords: | aging policy Baby Boomers long-term care retirement planning |
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