As of 2014 health care expenditures in the United States are near 17% of our gross domestic product (GDP), with a major portion of Medicare funding goes towards chronic illness and care at the last 6 months of life. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has made some initial legislative changes in our health system, but not sufficient to address our growing expenditures and caring for our large aging population. In this assignment, learners will synthesize issues in aging with health policy solutions by writing a paper on one health issue for older individuals addressed in the topic and offering a policy solution. Example of issue: In 2014, over 50% of the costs of institutional long-term care for older persons are paid for with public funds from Medicaid.

This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included.

Directions:Write a 1,000-1,250 word paper that addresses a health issue for older individuals. Include the following:

Evaluate what the literature suggests as a resolution to your chosen issue.

Discuss any attempts to incorporate the solution into public policy.

Determine the barriers to implementation of the solution.

Analyze the options being discussed for public and/or private funding.

Propose your own recommendation.