Assisted-living homes are rejecting Medicaid and evicting seniors

If Assisted Living facilities in NJ wish to receive some percentage of state funding, they must agree to dedicate a certain number of beds for Medicaid residents. It is a low percentage and those residents are not treated any differently than privately paying residents. The thinking is; most residents have paid into Medicaid all their working life, so it isn't considered an entitlement.
 

Lewkat said:
If Assisted Living facilities in NJ wish to receive some percentage of state funding, they must agree to dedicate a certain number of beds for Medicaid residents. It is a low percentage and those residents are not treated any differently than privately paying residents. The thinking is; most residents have paid into Medicaid all their working life, so it isn't considered an entitlement.
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The thinking is; most residents have paid into Medicaid all their working life, so it isn't considered an entitlement.

Wrong. You pay into Medicare when you’re working. Not Medicaid.
 
Remy said:
They will end up in nursing home the government will pay for at a larger amount. These assisted living places are big money makers.

It's getting worse for seniors and everyone. I'm even afraid to ask for repairs in this apartment with these new shark owners. They are obviously max profit. So I'm doing without a dishwasher since it went out weeks ago.
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We have new owners here too and I don't trust their workers in my apartment yet so I haven't called to fix my toilet. Luckily it still works but it's making strange noise instead of the usual ones. I put a temporary fix on the chain. I used a Christmas ornament hanger. 😂
 
Ruthanne said:
We have new owners here too and I don't trust their workers in my apartment yet so I haven't called to fix my toilet. Luckily it still works but it's making strange noise instead of the usual ones. I put a temporary fix on the chain. I used a Christmas ornament hanger. 😂
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I've changed a toilet flapper. My repair skills are not good. I'd probably flush mine with a bucket if it went out. The only thing I'd have to have fixed is AC. Or buy one of those units that vent out the window.
 
Remy said:
I've changed a toilet flapper. My repair skills are not good. I'd probably flush mine with a bucket if it went out. The only thing I'd have to have fixed is AC. Or buy one of those units that vent out the window.
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I'm not really handy around here but I've never changed the flapper. That's good you did that!
 
helenbacque said:
MA is wonderful until you get sick. Stay where you are unless you are young and healthy
And plan to die while still young and healthy. Get sick with chronic or infectious disease and MA no good.
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I have had a medicare advantage plan for over 10 years, and they have taken care of all my heart procedures and hospital and doctor bills, and all of my heart medications.
Plus, I have the eye doctor and dental care allowances , and the Silver Sneakers fitness membership. I also have $125 monthly allowance to use for OTC medications like vitamins, cold medicine and stuff like that.
I have a Humana Advantage plan and they have covered everything I needed.
 
Happyflowerlady said:
I have had a medicare advantage plan for over 10 years, and they have taken care of all my heart procedures and hospital and doctor bills, and all of my heart medications.
Plus, I have the eye doctor and dental care allowances , and the Silver Sneakers fitness membership. I also have $125 monthly allowance to use for OTC medications like vitamins, cold medicine and stuff like that.
I have a Humana Advantage plan and they have covered everything I needed.
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Ditto with Kaiser Permanente Advantage plan.
 

John cycling said:
That's only legal because the previous agreements were not protective of the residents. If the residents held life estate agreements to stay in the facility until end of life, then any new owners would be required to respect those agreements. Thus the problem is twofold, that non-profit facilities do not provide agreements that protect the residents in the case of a sale, and even if they did, the new owners would probably make sure they didn't live very long.
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It sounds like you are saying life estate agreements are legal in your state at eldercare facilities. I'm assuming that would be true if, as many seniors do, you were buying a residence on a lot in a seniors development (i.e., Del Webb senior developments?). Life estate agreements are only valid if one OWNS the property being lived in.

However, in metropolitan urban areas, senior living facilities are essentially just apartment units with housekeeping included; sometimes meals but sometimes not. Non-profit or for-profit, residents do not own their units. There are no legal grounds for an LEA.

I believe there are a few condo senior living hi-rises where an LEA would be legal; however, I cannot conceive of why anyone would be willing to buy a unit with an LEA attached to it. Even in CA condos fall far behind SFHs in appreciation, and with the holder of an LEA being responsible for maintenance and property taxes, the uncertainty of how long the senior is going to live would be enough to scare off any sensible potential buyer.

If I'm misunderstanding the situation - which is quite possible, I have not encountered LEAs in any of the facilities we researched - please do post an explanation of how this would work in a rental situation.
 
StarSong said:
SNFs do accept medicare/medicaid, but not ALs.
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I think here again, maybe we should expand this as there are so many different types of eldercare facilities.

Skilled Care Nursing = medical and/or hospital care. Medicare (limited by age) and Medicaid (limited by income) both cover in- and out-patient hospital services and medications, although this assumes you have qualified for Medicare Part A (hospitalization services) as well as Part B (medical services).

Asst. Living is defined as needing assistance / caregiving but NOT hospital, nursing, or diagnostic services.

Many senior facilities limit what services they provide, so some may provide only Independent Living, Asst. Living (with in-house help or private-pay service), SNC (convalescent care), or Memory Care.

Some facilities may provide a combination of the four types, or even all four types in-house. If a facility provides SNC or Memory Care in addition to Asst. Living, it would be required to accept Medicare; but the state's own laws determine whether it must accept Medicaid or has the choice not to accept Medicaid.

(and if I'm wrong on any of this, pls do correct me! :unsure: )
 
hawkdon said:
This is a bad situation, that is likely to get worse for seniors
Shirley Holtz, 91, used a walker to get around. She had dementia and was enrolled in hospice care. Despite her age and infirmity, Holtz was evicted from the assisted-living facility she called home for four years because she relied on government health insurance for low-income seniors.

don
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For a lot of people in assisted living, 4 years is about how long it takes to drain their resources, house, and any other assets they have. After that medicare and medicade run out, and out you go. Those places are incredibly expensive. I looked into them when I was taking care of my aunt. Assisted living is expensive. It should be considered "Temporary care until you've turned over every cent you have." Eviction rates can be higher than a slum lord's tenement, and there are no renter's rights.
 
When a person chooses an assisted living facility it behooves them to ASK if the facility accepts Medicaid and how many months/years a person must be self pay before they qualify.
 
George1959 said:
Here they even kick out seniors from nursing homes for refugees only for profit.
https://www.focus.de/panorama/plaet...echtlinge-mehr-geld-bringen_id_186945741.html
"In Berlin, 110 residents of a nursing home for the elderly were unexpectedly dismissed. The operator and landlord are church institutions belonging to the Berlin Diakonie. What is so piquant is that refugees are now being housed in the building, which is much more lucrative than care for the elderly because of public subsidies." (Quote from the article, translated by deepl.com)
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Someone will have to come up with a modified form of Capitalism ... and soon! No, I am not a communist, but unchecked capitalism has been the ruination of the middle class! And is making the poor even poorer!

I love Bernie Sanders. To quote him: What the UAW understands, and all of us should remember, is that over the last 50 years there has been a massive redistribution of wealth in America. Their fight against corporate greed is the fight to improve the lives of every worker in America.
 
Lethe200 said:
Asst. Living is defined as needing assistance / caregiving but NOT hospital, nursing, or diagnostic services.

Many senior facilities limit what services they provide, so some may provide only Independent Living, Asst. Living (with in-house help or private-pay service), SNC (convalescent care), or Memory Care.
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I did some research on this and stand corrected. Thank you @Lethe200.
Medi-Cal (California Medicaid): Assisted Living Waiver Program
"The state of California recognizes that individuals qualified for nursing home care can often receive the same level and quality of care in an assisted living residence at a lower cost. The Assisted Living Waiver Program (ALWP) serves seniors who need long term care assistance with personal care and household tasks. Most seniors and their families prefer an assisted living environment rather than a nursing home facility. This creates a win-win scenario for the state and for families."

Although my mother was in the memory care unit of her assisted living, the services needed and offered weren't medical beyond dispensing meds and vitamins. She needed watching so she wouldn't wander, along with assistance with daily hygiene, dressing and wheelchair transfers. She wouldn't have qualified for Medi-Cal (CA's version of Medicaid), as she had far too many assets, nor would it have been morally right or appropriate for the taxpayers to foot the bill for her care. Ditto my father-in-law.

During our two in-depth searches, none of the ALs we contacted or toured offered medical assistance beyond what I described above, nor were Medicare or Medi-Cal mentioned.

Yes, AL's are plenty expensive. Just checked - in my area they're running an eye-watering $5500 - $6500/month. One bedroom apartments (which these basically are) are priced at $2000-$2500+ right now. So 2.5 times the price. On the other hand, hiring private monthly 24/7 care ($25/hour) comes to a shocking $18,250 per month. Now add groceries, rent, utilities, etc.

ALs offer strong supervision, security, staffing, meals and snacks, maid service, weekly laundry, socializing opportunities, other entertainment, transportation to stores and doctor appts., along with the assistance I described above, plus an RN or LVN on premises 24/7. Also, should any plumbing or electrical problems arise in a unit, the AL takes care of that. It's to be expected that ALs would be a lot pricier than similarly sized apartments.

Yet another strong reason to stash plenty of nuts away in case winter arrives...
 
Lewkat said:
When making out weekly paychecks for my employees, among the deductions was a box for the state of NJ medcaid program.
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I do not know what you are referencing, but a payroll deduction to pay into the Medicaid program is against the law, Medicaire, yes. However, I will leave it that.
 

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