Federal law bans nursing homes from ousting residents due to a Medicaid transition — if the facility accepted Medicaid when they moved in. That’s not the case for assisted living facilities.
At least four Wisconsin assisted living facilities relocated residents who required Medicaid assistance between 2022 and 2023, according to reporting from WPR and the Washington Post.
Once relocated, seniors struggle to find alternatives. Many Medicaid-accepting facilities require private pay for years before they consider accepting government payments.
“If you’re taking Medicaid, you have to take Medicaid. You can’t put the screws to people who are eligible for Medicaid,” said Eric Carlson, director of long-term services and support advocacy with the legal nonprofit Justice in Aging. “And that’s not conditional on people paying you thousands of dollars ahead of time.”
