Proposed Home Health Co-Pay is a Big Mistake
April 22, 2013 at 2:56 pm Judith Stein Leave a comment
We have to say, Forbes has it right! The co-pay for Medicare home health care proposed in the President’s budget is a big mistake. It will not save money, will harm people with chronic conditions, and will increase avoidable hospitalizations. It isn’t even a good tool for fighting fraud – if that is the goal.
Far from getting too much care, our experience is that thousands of people with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, paralysis, and other long-term conditions, struggle to get the home care they DO need. A little bit of nursing and/or therapy, along with hands-on health aide services, often means the difference between staying home and requiring a hospital stay or nursing home placement. For most Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions, home health care is more humane, more effective and less expensive.
If fraud is the concern, fight it. Don’t add co-pays or other barriers for those who really do need home care and qualify for Medicare coverage.
Entry filed under: Access to Health Care, Cost-sharing, Deficit Reduction, Fiscal Responsibility, Fraud, Help for Low Income People, Home Health, Medicare, Medicare Reform, Uncategorized. Tags: deficit, Deficit; Medicare, Fact and Fiction, Health Care Reform, Medicare, Medicare Reform, Rationing.
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