LTSS
Transportation and Internet Barriers Limit Rural Access to Home Health
Patients in rural parts of the United States often have difficulty accessing home health care and other home-and community-based services (HCBS), according to a new study published earlier this month in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. The study indicates that HCBS should save money for state Medicaid agencies, but barriers, particularly in […]
Read MoreBipartisan Bill to Protect Seniors Who Receive Long-Term Home Care Introduced in Congress
Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Fred Upton (R-MI) introduced bipartisan legislation to financially protect seniors who receive long-term care in their homes or in a community setting. The primary payer for long-term care, services, and supports is Medicaid, but in order to maintain eligibility, beneficiaries with a family member needing long-term care may be forced […]
Read MoreGAO: State Medicaid Home-and-Community-Based Services Face Funding and Workforce Challenges
States struggle to provide home-and-community-based services through their Medicaid programs due to workforce issues related to low pay, the complex needs of many patients, and limited funds from state governments, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). All state Medicaid programs provide some financial support for long-term services and supports (LTSS) […]
Read MoreImprovements Needed in VA Long-Term Care, Congress Told
On Monday, July 30th, the Health Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee held a field hearing, VA Long-term Care: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How to Best Serve Our Aging Veteran, in Camarillo, California. Led by Committee Chairman Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Ranking Member Julia Brownley (D-CA), the hearing focused on the […]
Read MoreHome and Community-Based Services Dominates Growth in Medicaid LTSS Spending
Spending on home and community-based services continued to account for the vast majority of all Medicaid long-term services and supports spending in Fiscal Year 2016, announced the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Home and community-based services (HCBS) increased by 10 percent in FY 2016, easily outstripping the annual […]
Read MoreNAHC Urges CMS to Reject Elimination of Retroactive Medicaid Coverage
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has joined a group of like-minded organizations to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reject a proposed amendment in Arizona to eliminate three-month retroactive coverage for all Medicaid beneficiaries. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) has proposed an amendment to […]
Read MoreMedicare Spending Far Higher on Patients who Need LTSS
Medicare spends an average of three times as much on patients with severe functional limitations or dementia than those patients who do not have those conditions, according to a new study by the Long-Term Quality Alliance. If a patient needs assistance with dressing, bathing, toileting, or getting in and out of bed, he or she […]
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