Medicare home health may be another cost that seniors have to pay for out of their own pockets if Congress goes through with a planned change, according to The Associated Press and Business Week on Thursday.
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended that Congress pass a measure to add a new Medicare charge to home care, according to Business Week. At this time, the service is free of cost.
A specific amount for the costs was not named yet, according to Business Week. However, the advisory staff said that $150 for a series of doctor visits would be reasonable.
“At the extreme, this benefit can turn into a long-term care social support system,” the Medicare advisory commission chairman Glenn Hackbarth told AP. “A modest copayment is one tool to help deal with that problem.”
According to Business Week, more than 3 million seniors received Medicare home health care in 2010. Those entail visits from nurses, personal care workers, and therapists.
The publication notes that AARP is opposed to the plan to charge seniors for the program.
Medicare’s website says that in order for a person to get home care, it has to be recommended by the recipient’s physician. The patient must need skilled nursing care, be approved by the Medicare program, and must be homebound or unable to leave home without help.
The program right now covers home medical care on a part-time or intermittent basis.
Medicare has never covered 24-hour-a-day care, home-delivered meals, homemaker support like cleaning and cooking, and personal care like bathing and dressing.
