The Wall Street Journal reports on how the worsening economic climate is forcing states to reduce community-based services for the elderly and people with disabilities. Waiting lists for services are growing and many affected by these cuts are dipping into their own very meager funds to pay for personal assistance. For some, a nursing home is the only remaining option. With a looming deficit of $4 billion, Minnesota is almost certain to implement similar cuts.
One fact from the article caught my attention: in 2006 Medicaid spent about $47 billion on nursing-home care and $15 billion on home- and community-based services. That’s a difference of over threefold and an indicator that we still have a long way to go towards removing the institutional bias in Medicaid spending.
