Medicare does not pay for long-term care and many Americans only discover this once they are in the middle of a medical emergency. However, Medicare will pay for up-to-100 days in a nursing home for rehabilitation care after a hospital stay or major medical incident for seniors. The nursing home daily cost can be as much as $400 or more per day. Research shows that seniors do better recovering when they are in the comfort of their own home.
These Medicare benefits that skip out on home care in favor of care in a nursing home are from legislation passed decades ago. Now that technology has improved communications with the capability of having a cell phone in your hand that cannot only allow you to speak to another person anywhere in the world but also track many of your body functions, it seems to make sense to modernize the Medicare benefits to allow for home care, not just care in a nursing home.
Right now, Americans must privately pay for senior care in the home, unless they have nearly no assets along with a low monthly income and qualify for Medicaid care services which will provide a part-time home health aide for caregiving services in the home.
Presidential candidate Harris says she’ll be able to find revenue to pay for this benefit by saving money on the medication costs paid for prescriptions. Her plan seeks to help Americans who are struggling with the extra duty of providing caregiving for an aging loved one, including those in the “sandwich generation” who care for children and parents. She shares more about her plans for more benefits for caregiving here.
Learn about the Medicaid financial limits in your state and plan ahead for your senior care. Caregiving jobs are also available as senior care companies are hiring part-time and full-time caregiving services.
