…or at least their new program to promote person-centered care for low-income seniors. The program is called Putting People First. It’s a simple, but powerful, name for a type of public policy will soon make it “across the pond.”

The program, which will start in April 2008, will allow seniors or a person of their choosing to set up a bank account for funds associated with their care costs.  After the person is means-tested, the government will pay money into the account and allow the seniors or loved ones to use for the care and services that meet the older adults’ needs.

While the program is similar to “Cash and Counseling” initiatives in several states, there is little movement among policy makers to take it nationwide. 

Government officials said that they developed the plan based on British baby boomers’ desire for choice as they age.  Those same boomers liked The Beatles and The Stones before the “British Invasion” hit the states. Why would American boomers not want the same kind of “invasion” in their health care?