Briefly Noted
Briefly Noted
• Although most senior citizens prefer the familiar surroundings of their homes to a nursing home when they become sick or disabled, Medicaid regulations in many states make home care economically impossible, according to a new study released by the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP; Washington). The AARP found that many state Medicaid programs place stricter eligibility requirement on home-based care than on nursing home stays, reported the Orlando Sentinel. For instance, seniors often make too much to be reimbursed for home care, though they can qualify for nursing home care at the same income level. Further, spouses of seniors receiving home care often must spend more on their loved ones’ care than spouses of nursing home residents, the Sentinel reported. The study also found that home care recipients are often required to foot too much of the costs for the care themselves, making it impossible to afford living expenses, such as a mortgage or utility bills. The AARP pointed to the findings as evidence of "a continuing institutional bias in the Medicaid program" that drives most of the nation's elderly into nursing homes, reported the Sentinel. "This result is ironic, since the cost of nursing home care is, in most cases, considerably more expensive for the Medicaid program than the cost of (home care) services," the AARP concluded.
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