GAO: State Medicaid Home-and-Community-Based Services Face Funding and Workforce Challenges

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States struggle to provide home-and-community-based services through their Medicaid programs due to workforce issues related to low pay, the complex needs of many patients, and limited funds from state governments, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). All state Medicaid programs provide some financial support for long-term services and supports (LTSS) […]

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Improvements Needed in VA Long-Term Care, Congress Told

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On Monday, July 30th, the Health Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee held a field hearing, VA Long-term Care: What’s Working, What’s Not, and How to Best Serve Our Aging Veteran, in Camarillo, California. Led by Committee Chairman Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Ranking Member Julia Brownley (D-CA), the hearing focused on the […]

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Home and Community-Based Services Dominates Growth in Medicaid LTSS Spending

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Spending on home and community-based services continued to account for the vast majority of all Medicaid long-term services and supports spending in Fiscal Year 2016, announced the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Home and community-based services (HCBS) increased by 10 percent in FY 2016, easily outstripping the annual […]

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NAHC Urges CMS to Reject Elimination of Retroactive Medicaid Coverage

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The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has joined a group of like-minded organizations to urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reject a proposed amendment in Arizona to eliminate three-month retroactive coverage for all Medicaid beneficiaries. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) has proposed an amendment to […]

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Medicare Spending Far Higher on Patients who Need LTSS

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Medicare spends an average of three times as much on patients with severe functional limitations or dementia than those patients who do not have those conditions, according to a new study by the Long-Term Quality Alliance. If a patient needs assistance with dressing, bathing, toileting, or getting in and out of bed, he or she […]

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