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RELEASE: PLEASE CONTACT:
August 4, 2006
Michael Bloom, 617 722 1650
CHELSEA ADDITION
Legislature Passes Bill to Improve Long Term Care
(BOSTON) - Efforts to give thousands of Massachusetts senior
citizens and disabled adults a greater voice in how they receive
long-term care services took a major step forward last week when
the Legislature passed a bill to drastically revamp the delivery
of long term care across the state. An Act Regarding Choice of
Long Term Care Setting, was supported by Senator Barrios, and
filed by Senator Sue Tucker, the Senate Chair of Elder Affairs.
“This is simply the compassionate and fiscally responsible thing
to do,” said Barrios. “It gives seniors the opportunity to
choose which care they prefer to receive and where they prefer
to receive it.”
In addition to satisfying public demand, the bill will help save
taxpayers dollars and ease already strained state Medicaid
budgets. MassHealth presently pays roughly $51,720 per member
annually to house long-term care clients in nursing homes. This
legislation would allow the same clients to remain at home for
approximately half the cost.
“Other states have already increased the use of home-and
community-based services while preserving high quality nursing
homes for those with greater needs,” said Senator Tucker. “This
bill will set Massachusetts on the same course.”
Presently Massachusetts funds long term care services through
MassHealth and under current law, a person is entitled to a
nursing home bed if he or she meets the financial and health
needs criteria. While individuals repeatedly express their
desire to remain in their homes, only a certain number of home
care slots are available under the existing long term care
structure.
This bill would even things out by creating a “long term care
benefit” without reference to a setting. Individuals who meet
MassHealth financial and clinical eligibility requirements for
long term care services would then decide where to receive care.
The funding determined to meet the needs each client would then
follow that person to his or her location of choice.
The Governor signed it today.
last updated
06-Oct-2006 03:01 PM
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