Seniors Getting Less Care and Paying More

Public investments play a critical role in ensuring that people with long-term health needs, particularly elderly men and women, receive a full range of support and services. Yet as our recent brief, “Cuts on the Rise, Health in Decline” shows, that commitment has been fading for many in need of long-term care:

• More than 50,000 older Washingtonians had to pay more for their medication last year because of elimination of a program that covers drug co-pays for low-income seniors and people with disabilities who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare. Even a co-pay of $2 to $6 can force seniors to make tough choices between paying for medication and paying for other essential needs, such as food and housing.
• Over 40,000 seniors and people with developmental disabilities who need help with things others take for granted – bathing, dressing, eating and getting around – have had their home health care hours cut by an average of 14.1 percent since 2009. 

Without day-to-day assistance, the health of seniors and people with disabilities could deteriorate and result in a need for more urgent care or institutionalization, a much more costly alternative. The average daily cost of care for someone in a nursing home is $138; the average cost of in-home care is $53 per day.

Even if seniors avoid seeking care in a nursing home, they still may end up turning to more expensive alternatives such as emergency rooms. A recent study found that reductions in funding for home care were associated with increases in hospitalizations and emergency room visits. As the graph below shows, at an average of $300 per visit, a trip to the emergency room is the most costly of all options. 

To read the full brief, click here.