Medicaid Cuts Could Hit Ohio Hard
By Barry Zimmer on December 12th, 2017 in Medicaid
Medicaid planning attorneys at Zimmer Law Firm in Cincinnati, Ohio help clients to create Medicaid plans that allow them to qualify for Medicaid coverage when such coverage becomes necessary. Qualifying for Medicaid can be vitally important because you may need Medicaid to cover your nursing home care when no other policies provide coverage.
Medicare and most private insurers will not pay for nursing home care or long-term care at home unless you have a qualifying hospital stay and your doctor indicates you need skilled nursing care. Since most people need custodial care or basic help with routine daily living tasks, many people rely on Medicaid as their only source of payment for care they require. This is why it is so important to reach out to Medicaid planning attorneys for help.
Unfortunately, many people of all ages who rely on Medicaid could be hurt if Medicaid cuts hit the state of Ohio. Not only could individual patients be impacted if Medicaid benefits are cut, but the cost could also result in substantial losses within the healthcare industry.
Medicaid Cuts Could Hurt Ohio Healthcare Providers and Patients
Crain’s Cleveland Business wrote about the potential Medicaid cuts and the impact that these cuts could possibly have on patients and healthcare providers within Ohio.
According to Crain’s Cleveland Business, the Ohio Department of Medicaid has proposed a Medicaid rate cut of five percent over the biennium for the care that is provided to recipients of Medicaid statewide. The rate reduction for Medicaid payments would apply to both inpatient payments as well as outpatient payments. Those advocating for cutting benefits indicate that the cuts are necessary to help balance state resources among competing demands.
This is a major concern because the Center for Health Affairs, which is an advocacy group that provides representation to hospitals in Northeastern Ohio, indicated that this cut could result in regional hospitals facing a $160 million loss during fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Obviously, such a large cut would be very damaging to the hospital’s budget and the hospital has few options to make up for the lost funds.
Compounding the problem is the fact that hospitals are already reimbursed less by Medicaid than it costs to actually provide services to Medicaid patients. This means whenever hospitals offer care to people on Medicaid, they lose money by providing that care instead of making money. Other patients are charged more to try to subsidize these costs to some extent, but this becomes unsustainable the greater the shortfall between Medicaid coverage and actual costs of treatment since continuing to raise prices to fill budget gaps could put medical care out of reach for those paying privately.
Advocates also warn that the cuts could lead to significant job loss within the healthcare sector. An estimated 2,500 healthcare jobs could be lost just in Northeastern Ohio alone if the Medicaid cuts go through.
Because of the concern from health advocates, Crain’s Cleveland Business indicated that it was possible the proposal to cut Medicaid benefits could be postponed or could be withdrawn.
Getting Help from Medicaid Planning Attorneys
While Medicaid cuts may affect the benefits available, Medicaid is likely to remain an important source of coverage for nursing home care for seniors even if cuts are made. If you are at risk of needing nursing home care or long-term care at any time in the future due to illness, injury, or age-related infirmity, it makes sense to work with an experienced attorney to make a Medicaid plan now before it becomes more difficult to get covered by Medicaid while protecting your assets.
Zimmer Law Firm has provided comprehensive help to people of all ages in making a Medicaid plan and we also provide assistance in crisis planning when you need Medicaid to cover you immediately, you have not made advanced plans, and you want to protect as much of your wealth as possible.
To find out more about how our compassionate and knowledgeable legal team can help with your Medicaid plan, give us a call at 513.721.1513 today. You can also join us for a free seminar to find out more about all of the services we provide that can help you to protect assets and get benefits that enhance your quality of life and protect your health. Reach out now to find out all that our legal team can do for you.