Answer :
Final answer:
Special needs trusts do not provide the same benefits as Medicare. Long-term care funding faces challenges due to an aging population and may require reform in programs like Social Security and Medicare to ensure future sustainability.
Explanation:
The question relates to the financial sustainability of long-term care services and specifically, how programs like Social Security and Medicare are structured to support these needs. Special needs trusts can indeed be used to provide for an individual's future care needs, but they do not offer the benefits that Medicare provides, as Medicare is a social insurance program delivered by the government. Paying for long-term care often involves a mix of personal savings, insurance, and sometimes government assistance.
However, the increasing number of elderly in the population challenges the sustainability of public programs like Social Security and Medicare under the current funding strategies, such as the pay-as-you-go system. Options for reform could include adjusting the age for receiving benefits, changing the structure of payroll taxes, or modifying the benefits themselves to ensure the long-term viability of these crucial programs.