“Medicare Spends Far More On Older Adults Who Need Personal Assistance”

“Medicare Spends Far More On Older Adults Who Need Personal Assistance,” by Howard Gleckman, Forbes

“This study is important because it highlights the consequences of the flawed way we care for older adults:  Medicare does not pay for personal assistance yet those who need it are likely to be very high users of medical care, which Medicare does pay for. The study results imply that we could reduce Medicare’s medical costs if we provide cost-effective personal care for older adults.”

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

This study implies no such thing. Of course people with ADL needs also need more medical care, they’re sicker. If Medicare paid for personal care, it would be paying for medical care and personal care, in other words, more, not less. But that’s not the only negative from Medicare paying more for personal care. The more government pays for personal care, the less urgency people feel about planning for long-term care. When the bottom falls out of Medicare and Medicaid, they’ll be stuck with spending down savings, plus home equity and surviving on whatever public and private charity is still able to provide.

Medicare Spends Far More On Older Adults Who Need Personal Assistance

#medicare

#assistance