A new issue brief from Justice in Aging, Medicaid’s Unfair Choice: Wait Months for In-Home Assistance—or Get Nursing Facility Coverage Today outlines how federal policy allows Medicaid coverage to start from the first day for nursing facility care, but not for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). As a result, those who need immediate help have no choice but to move into a nursing facility.
The brief also discusses how these forced nursing facility admissions have devastating and long-lasting consequences, especially for older adults of color, who are most likely to be forced into poorly performing nursing facilities due to lack of resources.
