State policy on long-term care for the elderly.

In the thirteen Assessing the New Federalism states, strategies to control the rate of increase in long-term care spending are extremely varied, especially in comparison with acute care's single-minded focus on managed care. States use three broad strategies: offsetting state spending with increased private and federal contributions, making the delivery system more efficient, and using traditional cost-control mechanisms, including controlling the nursing home bed supply and cutting Medicaid reimbursement rates.