There are some individuals who live with disabilities that leave them not only unable to work, but their conditions may also prevent them from leaving their homes as well. In these cases, it may be necessary to receive in-home care, which may be covered by Medicaid benefits, depending on the individual’s eligibility for such benefits.
For individuals who are unable to leave their homes, being able to receive affordable in-home care through Medicaid is incredibly important as this prevents them from suffering a financial burden because of their situation. But come July 1 of this year, changes to Medicaid coverage could create problems for these individuals, especially when it comes to in-home care coverage.
As some of our Essex County readers may have heard, the new Medicaid rule now requires at least one face-to-face visit with a doctor in order to continue receiving in-home care coverage through the federal assistance program. As a recent article on the topic explains, patients have specific time limits in which they need to see a doctor in order to have their medical care covered, including in-home equipment. If a person is unable to see a doctor face-to-face, they could miss out on Medicaid coverage for in-home care.
The importance of Medicaid for people with disabilities
As you are probably well aware by now, living with certain disabilities means also living without a steady source of income from a job. Many kinds of disabling conditions force individuals out of the workforce every year, leaving them looking to federal assistance from programs like Social Security Disability Insurance, Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid for financial help.
For people who are too sick or disabled to work, these federal benefits are their only source of financial support. By making the process more difficult to navigate or too difficult to meet the stringent requirements, the government forces people with disabilities to make difficult decisions about their lives.
The hope for our readers is that this most recent change does not cause too much of a burden or causes anyone to lose their benefits because of unawareness about the change.
