FROM THE DESK OF SENATOR DAVID LONG
“There is no place like home.” I’ve heard that rally cry loud and clear as I’ve listened to citizens tell me what is important to them. It’s understandable that most seniors and disabled on Medicaid would rather stay at home than be in institutional care. What may come as a surprise is that the cost of staying at home is quite often less expensive for the state to administer.
In the most important health care initiative since the establishment of the CHOICE program 20 years ago, the legislature has passed Senate Bill 493, authored by state Senator Greg Server (R-Evansville), which removes the impediments for home and community based health care options for thousands of Indiana seniors and disabled individuals.
Indiana presently spends 84 percent of its health care tax dollars on institutional nursing home care and only 16 percent on in-home community-based care. There are more than 27,000 Hoosiers who are on waiting lists for home care services under the CHOICE program, while there are almost 15,000 empty nursing home beds. SB 493 would make home and community based services equally available to Hoosier seniors and disabled as nursing home and institutional care.
The legislation establishes a Caretaker Support Program, which was added to the federal Older Americans Act of 2000 to allow states to develop a service delivery system to respond to the needs of caretakers. In fiscal year 2002, the average cost for institutional care was $20,727 while home-based care was $7,583.
Services available in the CHOICE program, such as assisted living and adult foster care, would now be available under the Medicaid waiver options. One of the reasons that so many elderly residents must live in nursing homes is because the income eligibility standard is much lower for home health care. This legislation equalizes the income eligibility standard, Medicaid “spend down” requirements, and spousal impoverishment rules that, in turn, will increase the number of individuals eligible for Medicaid waiver in-home services. More seniors will be able to remain in their homes, maintain more income, and receive services that are generally less costly than those in a nursing home.
Our goal is to enable Hoosier seniors and disabled citizens to remain comfortable in their homes for as long as possible. Senate Bill 493 will get them off of the waiting lists and on their way to achieving that goal.
> Read More Information About Us
> More Articles Written By Our Staff
- Shamrock Search Leads To Adventures In Waynedale - March 29, 2024
- Take A Journey Back To The Hundred Acre Wood - March 29, 2024
- Recognizing Green Book Sites In Indiana - March 29, 2024