How public long-term care benefits could help people with dementia and their families
Official title: Tradeoffs in the Design of Public Long-Term Care Benefits
Funded at Harvard Medical School · NIH-11416714 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how different public long-term care benefit designs would affect people with dementia, their families, and who pays for care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard Medical School NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2009 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $253,863 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AG032952-17 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416714 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, their family caregivers, and Medicare beneficiaries who need long-term care services are the populations most directly relevant to this project.
✕Less likely to help
People without long-term care needs or those already fully covered by private long-term care insurance may not see direct benefits from the findings.
What this research studies
If you or a family member has dementia, this work examines who currently pays out-of-pocket for long-term care and who would gain financially from expanded public coverage. The team will analyze large national surveys and government administrative records to see how options like relaxed Medicaid rules or a new federal benefit would change service use and costs. They will describe the groups most likely to receive financial help and model whether expanded coverage would lead more people to use needed care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform policy changes that reduce out-of-pocket costs and improve access to long-term care for people with dementia.
How similar studies have gone: Prior policy analyses have shown public LTC expansions can lower out-of-pocket spending but may increase service use, and this project builds on those findings with newer data and more detailed tradeoff modeling.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard Medical School
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Grabowski, David C — Harvard Medical School
- Study coordinator: Grabowski, David C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.