Many believe that an aging population means that there will be an explosive growth in the number of Medicaid beneficiaries in nursing homes. But, according to more than 35 years of research (see above), this isn’t necessarily the case. In fact, statistical data shows that nursing home use by Medicaid-eligible seniors has fallen by nearly one-third, from 1.4 million in 1995 to just over 1 million in 2010.
In 2010, assisted living facilities had about 700,000 residents, and about one in five were receiving Medicaid. Below are some possible reasons why nursing home use by senior Medicaid beneficiaries has declined:
- State Medicaid programs have been shifting care from nursing facilities to home and community-based settings;
- Seniors’ enrollment in Medicaid is growing very slowly even though the overall older population is growing rapidly;
- Nursing homes would rather provide rehabilitation services instead of long-term care because Medicaid pays an average of $125 a day for a long-term care resident, while Medicare pays $500 or $600-a-day for a short-stay patient.
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.