When we consider Medicaid medical assistance for our loved ones, many of us are very concerned when it comes to who will assist our loved ones. We generally feel that when we pay privately for our loved ones home care services or even nursing home care they will receive better care, more attention, and exceptional and outstanding personal assistance. Our life time experience dictates this notion and we continue to implement this idea when we consider Medicaid as an option.
What would you say if I told you the opposite? That although your life time experience may be correct with most things, it nevertheless does not apply when it comes to Medicaid medical assistance. How so you would ask?
Let consider what is Medicaid and how does it function. Medicaid is a jointly funded, Federal and State health insurance program allowing low-income and needy people the opportunity to receive health care. It covers children, the aged, blind, and/or disabled and other eligible people.
Medicaid will approve or deny an applicant’s application due to their income and resource levels. Once approved Medicaid will pay the private sector for the services the applicant recipient will receive.
What does that mean? Medicaid does not have any home attendants nor does it have any nursing homes. The applicant gets to pick any private Manage Long Term Care Agency or the nursing home of their choice and Medicaid will pay the private agency for the services. The key word is PAY – Medicaid is a government agency that pays the private sector for the services.
Bottom line – one can pay for the services and deplete their life savings until becoming poor. Once impoverished they have no choice, but apply for Medicaid assistance. On the other hand, they can protect their life savings and apply for Medicaid and receive the same services. On many occasions applicants can continue with the same home attendants and/or same nursing homes they have been using and paying for privately.
In conclusion, there is no difference in the services received. The only consideration the applicant or family needs to consider is whether you/they wish to pay privately for the services or have Medicaid pay for the same services.