Medicaid and the American Health Care System
Medicaid is a program in America that was started to provide health assistance only to individuals who used to receive cash welfare benefits. It was financed by both the federal and state governments. Over time, this program has been enhanced to extend services to all Americans earning low income including the seniors and people living with disabilities. One of the facts that I consider important is that Medicaid is the main financier of health services in Nursing Home Care for a large population in the United States (U.S.). The other fact is that Medicaid is the leading source of nursing home care in the U.S (KFF 3). I chose the facts because the U.S has an increasing number of aging people who are in need of the Medicaid care. Also, Medicaid gives long-term care as compared to Medicare which covers post-acute care which makes it costly for people with low income.
Medicaid is the main payer in Nursing Home Care, and any reductions made in its financing as suggested by the American Health Care Act can restrict its ability to respond the health needs of low-income earners, aged people who are not able to support themselves. This is because it is a long-term payer and can, therefore, lack enough funds to pay for the services given in the nursing homes. Lowering reimbursement rates may lower the quality given by the home care resulting in poor care which may be as a result of a reduction in staffing (Zimmerman, Shier, and Saliba S2). People who need long-term care which exceeds the federal minimum of Supplementary Security Income might be at a risk if the state cuts back this optional coverage.
Cuts to the Medicaid will negatively affect Americans since millions of people will have no health insurances, there will be medical bankruptcy among the Americans, people with disabilities and their families will have burdens, American hospitals, and other health institutions will also suffer, and the whole American health care system will be affected. Cuts can also lock in differences in the share of long-term care spending set for nursing homes.
Works Cited
Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). ""Medicaid’S Role In Nursing Home Care."" The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2017. Web. 1 Dec. (2017): 1- 7.
Zimmerman, Sheryl, Victoria Shier, and Debra Saliba. ""Transforming nursing home culture: Evidence for practice and policy."" The Gerontologist 54.Suppl_1 (2014): S1-S5.
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