Friday, July 06, 2007
medicare/medicaid
As usual, the middle class gets the shaft.
If you have money, you can pay to have your loved ones cared for in whatever kind of facility you want. If you are poor, you can go on Medicaid and hope to find a facility that has a few medicaid beds. If you are middle class and rely on Medicare and supplemental insurance, you are held to certain standards. There are things they won't pay for and everything is time limited.
Because my mom has developed cellulitis, she is no longer classified as getting rehab. She can't stand up. But she is getting skilled nursing because of the cellulitis. But the social worker called yesterday to give me a heads up that if they get the cellulitis cleared up and she still can't walk/get rehab, they will discharge her. Yikes.
Yes, you can private pay. $333 a day! And now I am not sure if she will even be eligible for assisted living. The place we are looking at ... The Presbyterian Home of Maryland ... has three levels of care below the nursing home ... Level 3 says you get lots of help but Troy seems to think if she can't transfer herself from bed to wheelchair, she won't qualify but I am not so sure. There seemed to be a number of people in wheelchairs who needed that kind of help.
I have a call in to them. Of course two months ago they had a suite but who knows how long the waiting list is now.
This is just crazy.
The other option that I discussed with my father last night is to get her into the apartment and hire help. Thing is getting her to doctors appointments would be impossible.
So maybe she will have to come here. Of course, I um, have my own issues to deal with.
And so it goes.
If you have money, you can pay to have your loved ones cared for in whatever kind of facility you want. If you are poor, you can go on Medicaid and hope to find a facility that has a few medicaid beds. If you are middle class and rely on Medicare and supplemental insurance, you are held to certain standards. There are things they won't pay for and everything is time limited.
Because my mom has developed cellulitis, she is no longer classified as getting rehab. She can't stand up. But she is getting skilled nursing because of the cellulitis. But the social worker called yesterday to give me a heads up that if they get the cellulitis cleared up and she still can't walk/get rehab, they will discharge her. Yikes.
Yes, you can private pay. $333 a day! And now I am not sure if she will even be eligible for assisted living. The place we are looking at ... The Presbyterian Home of Maryland ... has three levels of care below the nursing home ... Level 3 says you get lots of help but Troy seems to think if she can't transfer herself from bed to wheelchair, she won't qualify but I am not so sure. There seemed to be a number of people in wheelchairs who needed that kind of help.
I have a call in to them. Of course two months ago they had a suite but who knows how long the waiting list is now.
This is just crazy.
The other option that I discussed with my father last night is to get her into the apartment and hire help. Thing is getting her to doctors appointments would be impossible.
So maybe she will have to come here. Of course, I um, have my own issues to deal with.
And so it goes.
