Posted on Friday, November 30, 2018 11:20 PM
This week, Representatives Dingle and Upton from Michigan introduced a bill to protect seniors financially while receiving home health care.
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 to “spend down” their resources in order to receive the necessary care. This can lead to financial hardship or even bankruptcy for the family.
Protection against spousal impoverishment for the spouses of Medicaid beneficiaries currently exist only for nursing homes and other institutional settings. Protections against spousal impoverishment for patients receiving home and community-based care and services are set to expire at the end of 2018.
“Our long-term care system is broken,” said Rep. Dingell. “Seniors and their families already face too many challenges when navigating long-term care, and they should not have to get divorced or go broke just to be eligible for the care they need. Our bipartisan bill permanently extends spousal impoverishment protections to seniors no matter if they are receiving care in home, in the community, or in a nursing home facility.”
The Protecting Married Seniors from Impoverishment Act would permanently extend spousal impoverishment protection for Medicaid beneficiaries who receive long-term care in both in the community and in the home.
Source: NAHC
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