Long-Term Services and Supports Use Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural and Urban Areas

Abstract

State and federal policies have shifted long-term services and support (LTSS) priorities from nursing home care to home and community-based services (HCBS). It is not clear whether the rural LTSS system reflects this system transformation. Using the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, we examined nursing home use among rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older. Study findings indicate that even after controlling for known predictors of nursing home use, rural Medicare beneficiaries exhibited greater odds of nursing home residence and that the higher odds of rural nursing home residence are, in part, associated with higher rural nursing home bed supplies. A complex interplay of policy, LTSS infrastructure, and social, cultural, and other factors may be influencing the observed differences. Federal and state efforts to build rural HCBS capacity may be necessary to mitigate stubbornly persistent rural–urban differences in the patterns of institutional and community-based LTSS use.