State Studies Find Home and Community-Based Services to Be Cost-Effective

Member: AARP

The vast majority of people in need of long-term services and supports (LTSS) want to live in their own homes and communities.

States have made progress in providing greater access to home and community based services (HCBS) for people with low incomes.

Many states have also conducted studies to ensure that HCBS are cost effective. This report contains a summary of a collection of relevant state studies as well as Web links.

Many states have evaluated publicly funded HCBS programs, resulting in this collection of 38 studies. The studies that evaluated the cost effectiveness of HCBS supported Medicaid “balancing” and other efforts to move more resources toward HCBS rather than institutional care. The studies consistently provide evidence of cost containment and a slower rate of spending growth as states have expanded HCBS.

View the report here.