Does Medicaid Cover Home Services

[lissy]

Hey all,

I have been looking into home health services after my upcoming surgery and I have Medicaid, so I was wondering if any of you have gotten that type of service?

I was reading about the services being available for people with medical and mental conditions ( home health nurses/ companions/ people that come in and do the daily duties you cannot perform). It made me think maybe this would be useful to some of us that really need it.

Hopefully I will be eligible because I have no one in my family that can come help me after surgery...

Lissy

[paona]

Well, I do think this can vary from state to state even though it is a federal program. So I think you have to check your individual state. I maybe wrong on this but what I have seen happen with others seems to be services like rehabilitation services, private duty nursing (again might be limited but is individual case by case), physical and occupational therapy, and transportation services would be offered. Sometimes this would be in home, but some services you have to show that you are homebound (this doesn't mean you never leave your home but can show that being transported is difficult for you, things are unpredictable with your health and ability to consistently leave your home is difficult and service is needed in- home. This is the packet from the Medicaid site about services: http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/primer.htm I would click on chapter one as this addresses it and it's a long document. This is what they have to say regarding personal care services: " The services had to be prescribed by a physician, supervised by a registered nurse, and delivered in accordance with a care plan. Moreover, they could be provided only in the person’s place of residence. Generally, the personal care services a state offered were tied mainly to assisting individuals in activities of daily living (ADLs)--bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring from a bed to a chair. Personal care workers could provide other forms of assistance (e.g., housekeeping and laundry) only on a limited basis and only if they were incidental to delivery of personal care services". I think the housekeeping aspect is very limited even when you are unable to do this on your own, but maybe varies from state to state. If you find an in-home service that you like and is Medicaid certified they can be very helpful in checking into what is needed to get services and what services are allowed. Good luck

[GingerA]

I know when my dad was with me after his heart attack the medicaid paid for his nurses and aids to come in. We had to have a doctor approve the care. Just like writing a prescription. Talk to the hospital where you are having the surgery. They should have a service that sets up things like that for patients. That is how we got it for my dad.

[Rachel]

Medicaid programs vary from state to state, but I think it is pretty likely that you could get help like this. You'll need to check with your state Medicaid and possibly apply for a medicaid waiver if you qualify. Your doctor may also know the answer to this since he probably regularly deals with medicaid patients.

Rachel