In a recent opinion piece in USA Today, Howard Gleckman, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, urges Congress and President Obama to include long-term care in health reform.

His commentary highlights the story of a middle-class woman who, as the result of a chronic illness, spent her entire life savings on home care services. After her personal funds ran out, Medicaid paid for her care in a nursing home, where she spent her final days sharing a room with a stranger.

Gleckman writes, “Congress and President Obama could create a system of universal long-term care insurance, built on a combination of public and private coverage. They could end the reliance of millions on the welfare-like Medicaid system while reducing the tremendous pressure that program is putting on both state and federal budgets. And, they could further shift the focus of long-term assistance to community care instead of nursing facilities.”

He criticizes the Medicare system for spending tens of thousands of dollars to perform life-saving surgery, while failing to care for those living with long-term illnesses like congestive heart failure.

A related report from the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging shows that most Americans agree with Gleckman about the future of health reform. The report’s results show that 85 percent of those surveyed said that long-term care services and supports should be included.

According to a story in McKnight’s, more than half of those surveyed said that no healthcare reform package would be complete without them.