In pursuit of long-term care: ensuring access, coverage, quality.

Introduction P roviding accessible, affordable, and high-quality long-term care services to an aging population presents a growing challenge to long-term care providers. As the oldest members of the baby boom generation approach retirement, federal and state policymakers are exploring policies to care for the increasing number of elderly and to finance expanding long-term care needs. Other concerns include how to provide an adequate mix of institutional care and home and community-based services and how to monitor the quality of services delivered in these settings.