“Is most home care paid by government programs?”

Is most home care paid by government programs?,” by Yanqui Xu, PolitiFact

“For the aging and those with long-term care needs, receiving care at home is more affordable than institutionalized facilities like hospitals or nursing homes. But presidential candidate John Delaney argued on Twitter that even with jobs growing in the home care industry, workers are struggling with low wages because ‘most of home care is paid by government programs, which don’t pay enough.’ Is home care really funded mostly by government programs? We decided to check. … Long-term unskilled care at home is paid for by out-of-pocket private payers, long-term care insurance, or by Medicaid, for those who qualify based on states’ eligibility standards for low income, said Regina Shih, Ph.D., Senior Policy Researcher at the non-profit RAND Corporation, who studies Long-Term Services and Supports. … Still, Delaney made a valid point about wages, experts said. “Since the government is paying for a large share of home health care services,” Turner said, ‘the reimbursement rates paid under these government programs strongly influence what home health agencies can afford to pay their workers.’”

LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform):

Government doesn’t pay for all home care, especially unskilled care, but the care it does pay for, at less than market rates, drags down wages and quality for everyone, rich and poor alike.