REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The elderly is the fastest growing population in the United States; indeed, it is estimated that by 2010, people aged 65 years and older will comprise almost 14 percent of the American population (FedStats, 1998). Although most people aged 65 years and older need relatively little medical care, many do have health problems. In this regard, Papalia and Olds (1995) report that about 10 percent of older Americans (most of whom are 85 or older) are ill, disabled and isolated and very much in need of home health care. As the American population continues to gray, the number of older persons needing home health care is going to continue to increase, and so are health care costs (Papalia & Olds, 1995).
A key question that can be asked here is what have been the effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 on home health care agencies and what policy can be developed to best deal with these effects? The purpose of this paper is to examine research that has addressed this question.
To provide context to this review, the paper begins with a brief delineation of the home health care needs of older people, the costs of home health care, and the typical home health care services provided to older people. This is followed by a review of literature discussing how the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 has affected home health care and the various policy recommendations made in this literature for home health providers regarding their response to the stipulations and limitations associated with the Act.
Papalia and Olds (1995) state that home health care becomes of real concern to older people when they reach 85 years and beyond. At this point, the authors state, about one half of the population is going to have some illness or disease or injury that is going to seriously debilitate them, requiring some type of institutionalization or extensive home health care services.
Regarding...