Seniors to overload Medi-Cal

Over the next decade, Medi-Cal spending on long-term care may nearly double, a study suggests.

Researchers at UC Berkeley estimated such spending will jump from $6.6 billion this year to $12.4 annually by 2023, according to California Healthline. The authors projected the number of senior citizens in California will increase from 4.8 million to 6.9 million in the same time frame, while 70 percent of those seniors will require long-term care.

Further, nearly 90 percent of the state’s long-term care is provided by family caregivers who report “higher levels of mental and physical health problems,”according to a California Department of Health Care Services press release.

The study’s authors recommended seniors develop a long-term care plan to “ensure they live their later years with quality and dignity.”