As we age and start to need assistance, we deserve to be able to remain at home with access to the care we need. Most older adults prefer to remain at home and receive home and community-bases services (or HCBS) rather than in an institutional setting, such as a nursing facility.
Unfortunately, many people can’t access the support they need to live independently in the community because Medicare, through which most older adults receive health care coverage, doesn’t cover services in the home except under limited circumstances. Medicaid pays for most long-term care—including both HCBS and nursing facilities. Yet, HCBS is an optional benefit under the Medicaid program. As a result, the availability of HCBS varies significantly from state to state and there are wide disparities in the availability of HCBS for older adults.
Justice in Aging’s HCBS advocacy focuses on pushing Congress to increase funding for HCBS, protecting Medicaid from cuts, and expanding the program to help more older adults access long-term care at home through Medicaid.
