States Accelerate Shift Of Nursing Home Residents Into Medicaid Managed Care – Kaiser Health News.
By Jack Rosenkranz
Kaiser Health News reports that ” States had traditionally been reluctant to place frail and elderly people into managed care. But that caution is fading as officials become comfortable with managed care and more anxious to curb Medicaid spending.”
The State of Florida has mandated a limit to its Medicaid spending. They are hoping that a managed care approach will support elders to stay at home or seek less expensive care rather that nursing home.
Kaiser Health News calls this an ‘Unprecedented’ Shift
The State of Florida approach is a massive change.
The report continues:
“The mandatory transition of large numbers of consumers who use long-term care … is unprecedented,” says Laura Summer, an analyst with the Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute.
The shift has consumer advocates and nursing home operators worried, especially since Medicaid pays the bills for nearly two thirds of nursing home residents nationwide.
“It throws a monkey wrench in the equation to get care issues resolved quickly,” says Brian Lee, executive director of Families for Better Care, a patient advocacy group in Tallahassee.
Nursing homes are concerned about losing residents, money and autonomy. “We are not anti-managed care,” says Mike Cheek, a vice president with the American Health Care Association. But he worries the plans will delay payments and that states won’t have the capability to properly oversee them.
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