EPSDT Ageing - Part 8: Strategy

In the previous seven articles, we examined in detail what was wrong with the system for adults with disabilities in the early and regular screening, diagnosis and treatment [EPSDT] programs covered by Medicaid. What is covered by the disabled... nothing. Now, it's time to see how these families find ways to deal with the reality of the broken systems in which they work.

Become a home care provider for your adult children

Some states implement programs that allow parents or siblings to obtain funding from Medicaid to provide care for relatives with special needs. According to the state, these programs are called "cash and counseling" or "self-directed care". They are available in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington State And West Virginia got it.

In short, your Medicare-qualified relatives must apply for the program, which the state will evaluate to determine how many hours of home care they need per week to function. They use the "fair and habit" rates paid to home care workers in your area, multiply them by the number of hours they think the person you love needs, and provide them with a budget associated with that workload. They can choose to pay anyone [in some states, you must pass a nursing course] and they can choose to pay any amount equal to or higher than the state's minimum wage. [Please note that if you need a break, this gives them the freedom to stop paying you and paying professional fees for a while, which is an intimate benefit for family caregivers around the world.]

Turn to states with higher Medicaid coverage

If you live in one of the 19 states that have not yet received Obamacare's Medicaid expansion [Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebu] Las California, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin or Wyoming may be unacceptable, but transferred to One of the remaining 31 states [or the District of Columbia] may actually be in your best interest. This can be a tough requirement, of course - it depends on many factors, the most important of which is finding housing and employment - but if you can take action, the impact on your disabled person's love can be bad.

If you really try to go this route, there are some things you need to do:

1. Make sure that the Medicaid program available at the target level actually covers the person you love [see Part III of this series].
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  2. Check your income and resource limits to make sure you are still eligible. [Some states offer spending on resource limits; others do not.]
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  3. Move.
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  4. Announce your new hometown.
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  5. Apply for Medicaid in a new family status.
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  6. Close your previous Medicaid program.

This is the easiest thing to do - but it may be the best.

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Orignal From: EPSDT Ageing - Part 8: Strategy