Private duty home care, Medicare-certified home health, Medicaid contracted in-home care services, geriatric care management, assisted living, skilled nursing, acute care and more. There’s a common denominator among all of these programs – the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of seniors. As a private duty agency accepting private pay, long-term care insurance, and other funding sources, Family Resource Home Care is part of that continuum of care.

Medicaid, a joint state and federally funded program for low-income seniors and other populations, provides a myriad of services for seniors from in-home care programs that pay for clients to receive a caregiver, to higher cost assisted-living facilities, nursing homes, and hospice care. Medicaid contracted home care agencies and Independent Providers (IPs) offer in-home services to low-income seniors and other populations through the state’s Medicaid waiver plan, protecting seniors’ independence by helping them stay in their own homes and out of nursing facilities.

A July 14, 2011 article by Paris Achen in The Columbian underscores the importance of Washington State’s Medicaid waiver program. According to the Department of Social and Health Services, the $1 billion in-home Medicaid program serves about 47,000 clients and is estimated to save taxpayers $300 million per year over higher-cost stays in assisted-living or nursing homes.

David Kelly, executive director of the Southwest Washington Agency on Aging and Disabilities, is quoted as saying “It costs an average of $3,790 per month to keep a patient in a nursing or assisted-living facility, compared to an average of $1,426 per month for the patient to remain at home and receive care from a caregiver.”

Recently, Medicaid has taken a huge budgetary hit both on the state and federal levels, placing more and more vulnerable adults at risk. The Washington state legislature’s last session made some very painful budget cuts which included slashing Medicaid spending. Washington State voters should be aware of new initiatives that will be on the ballot this fall such as I-1163 that would require increased spending in other areas, putting intensified pressure on the legislature to further cut Medicaid spending.

Next Steps: Find out how you or your loved one can live at home comfortably and safely. Contact Family Resource Home Care or call us at 206.545.1092 for a free consultation.