It's critical to recognize that long$-$term care is a consumer$-$driven issue with numerous ethical ramifications when having this conversation. For example, the transfer of assets, the rationing of services, and service access. The main source of funding for long$-$term care is Medicaid $($Pratt$,2016,$ p$.324).$ Most people who require long$-$term care would not be able to access services if public funding were not available. According to Samuel and Beaulieu $(1992,$ p$.83),$ rationing $"$is simply a method that enables government to intervene in the private marketplace to allocate resources to achieve particular policy ends." The objective of this type of government intervention in the private market is to either increase or decrease the availability of health care services, or to increase or decrease the demand for these kinds of services $($p$.83,$ Samuel & Beaulieu, $1992).$ According to Higgins $(1991,$ p$.293),$ "the poor and those patients needing long$-$term care are most heavily affected by price rationing" because insurance coverage is limited and varies across services. Senior citizens who are worried about moving their assets$$such as a home or other property$$may do so without having to pass the Medicaid means test. However, it may render a person ineligible for Medicaid if they appear to be giving things away in order to meet the requirements. This is largely dependent on state regulations. Researching your state's specific laws regarding countable and noncountable assets is the best course of action when it comes to asset transfers $($Pratt$.2016,$ p$.325).$