A combination of longer life spans and spiraling health care costs has left an estimated 64 percent of Americans in nursing homes dependent on Medicaid. Medicaid covers 20% of all Americans, 40% of poor adults and most of the 1.4 million people in nursing homes. On June 22,2017, Senate Republicans proposed steep cuts to Medicaid. Under federal law, state Medicaid programs are required to pay for nursing home care but cuts at the federal level could result in states decreasing the amount they are willing to pay or restrict eligibility for coverage. To read the complete NYT article, follow our link.
Medicaid Cuts May Force Retirees Out of Nursing Homes
By JORDAN RAU | NYT Article
ORANGE, Va. — Alice Jacobs, 90, once owned a factory and horses. She has raised four children and buried two husbands.
But years in an assisted living center drained her savings, and now she relies on Medicaid to pay for her care at Dogwood Village, a nonprofit, county-owned nursing home here.
“You think you’ve got enough money to last all your life, and here I am,” Ms. Jacobs said.
Medicaid pays for most of the 1.4 million people in nursing homes, like Ms. Jacobs. It covers 20 percent of all Americans and 40 percent of poor adults.
On Thursday, Senate Republicans joined their House colleagues in proposing steep cuts to Medicaid, part of the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives hope to roll back what they see as an expanding and costly entitlement. But little has been said about what would happen to older Americans in nursing homes if the cuts took effect. [ read entire article ]
