If not, let's hope this is the first step to getting real health care reform, and not just tinkering around the edges to help the health insurance industry:
Should the need arise for nursing home care, however, payment would climb to at least $100 a day. This partial subsidy would take some of the sting out of nursing home costs. The price per day at a nursing home for individuals who pay privately averages $282.
For low-income people and the thousands more who quickly become impoverished paying for their own home care and/or nursing home bills, the combined state/federal medical program Medicaid picks up the tab. Since the majority of all nursing home patients are indigent, Medicaid outlays for them are an enormous drain on state and federal budgets. The availability of an added $100 payment per day in non-taxpayer dollars under Kennedy’s program would save millions in Medicaid costs.
Only about 10 percent of Americans have bought into commercially offered long-term care insurance, mainly because of cost and complicated terms. Comprehensive plans range in cost from around $1,500 a year to more than $5,000.
The long-term care program has the backing of President Obama as well as about 100 organizations for the disabled, elderly, and workers, along with 80 percent of voters queried in opinion polls.
1 comment:
The Class Act doesn't actually mention that benefits can be used for nursing home care and there is no guarantee that benefits will be as high as $100; the average is designed to be a $50/day benefit but amounts higher and lower are possible but have not yet been defined. So the program is more focused on inexpensive care at home (e.g., nonlicensed or informal caergivers) than on either assisted living or nursing facility care. Also, the article fails to mention the average $165/month premium (lower for younger particpiants and higher for older). Also if participation in this voluntary program is not up to the extremely aggressive targets proposed, the premium will need to be even higher. So the "take up" on this voluntary program is unlikely to differ much from what participation currently is on private LTC insurance. The federal program also needs to include all the same consumer protection and rate stability guarantees that private insurance provides - not currently something that is articulated in the legislation although certainly a requirement that could be added.
Post a Comment