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Caregivers / Homecare News
Article Date: 30 Jul 2006 - 6:00am (PDT)
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Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) said it will give competitive grants to states
totaling $1.75 billion over five years “to help
shift Medicaid from its historical emphasis on
institutional long-term care services to a system
that offers more choices for seniors and persons
with disabilities from all age groups, including
home and community-based services.”
CMS said it is currently implementing this “money
follows the person” rebalancing initiative, which
was included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA).
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt
stated, “With this program, people who need
long-term care and prefer to live in their own homes
and communities can do so.”
Earlier this week the Massachusetts House voted to
boost access to homecare under the state's Medicaid
program. The
Boston Globe reports that the
bill would “counter the state's historical
preference for placing people in nursing homes, by
guaranteeing that seniors can get care in the ‘least
restrictive setting' that meets their needs,
including their own homes.” The
Globe reports
that about three quarters of the state's $2.2
billion Medicaid long-term care budget is spent on
nursing homes.
American Association for Homecare
625 Slaters Lane
Suite 200
Alexandria
VA 22314
USA
(703) 836-6263
http://www.aahomecare.org
