The Californer - Medicare Home Care Benefits 3 Million Seniors; MedPAC Recommends Program Cuts

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LOS ANGELES - Californer -- Three million individuals benefit from Medicare Home Care Services 2023 according to latest data reported by the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI).

"The Medicare program spends nearly $17 billion on home health care," shares Jesse Slome, director of the organization. "Medicare beneficiaries often prefer to receive care at home instead of in institutional settings. In addition, home health care can be provided at lower costs than care in a more formal institutional setting."

The Medicare insurance expert was sharing the information along with a just-published proposal to reduce funding for home care. The proposal was just made by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).

"MedPAC recommends that Congress reduce the 2023 Medicare base payment rate for home health agencies by 7 percent," Slome explains. According to MedPAC, the proposed cut will decrease federal program spending by $750 million to $2 billion in 2024 and by more than $10 billion over five years.

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According to AAMSI, Medicare home health care consists of skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, aide services, and medical social work provided to beneficiaries in their homes,".

"To be eligible for Medicare's home health benefit, beneficiaries must need part-time (fewer than eight hours per day) or intermittent skilled care to treat their illnesses or injuries," Slome explains. "They must be unable to leave their homes without considerable effort."

Many people benefit and many are not aware of the availability of home care. "Medicare does not require a preceding hospital stay to qualify for home health care," Slome notes. "Also, unlike for most services, Medicare does not require copayments or a deductible for home health services."

To receive care at home, Medicare does require that a physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, or physician assistant certify a patient's eligibility for home health care. A face-to-face assessment is required although telehealth services may now be used to satisfy the requirement. Learn more about Medicare home care at https://medicaresupp.org/information/medicare-statistics-data/medicare-home-health-care/.

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The American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance advocates for the importance of consumer awareness and supports insurance and financial professionals who market Medicare insurance solutions. The organization makes available the nation's leading online directory listing independent Medicare insurance agents at https://www.medicaresupp.org/find-local-agent/. Access is free and private.