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Wednesday, October 02, 2013

Will Obamacare Kill Gracedale and Cedarbrook?

Last week, I had a conversation with a knowledgeable person who tells me Obamacare is going to kill public nursing homes like Gracedale and Cedarbrook. Things will be so bad that neither county will be able to sell to a private home because they'll be having troubles of their own.

Here's the theory. Obamacare is going to expand the number of people getting subsidized medical care, i.e. Medicaid. In an effort to stretch the medicaid dollar, that means more emphasis will be placed on acute care, as opposed to the chronic care provided at nursing home. Reimbursements will go down.

At the same time, the government is doing what it can to keep people out of nursing homes. For example, Obamacare sets aside $52 million to help the disabled and veterans to stay out of them.  A program is being considered to encourage people to stay in their homes.

Then there's the fiscal cliff, $700 billion in Medicare cuts that will come from reducing the medicare reimbursements to nursing homes.

I will raise these concerns with Gracedale Administrator Dee Freeman and get back to you.
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8 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 12:51 AM

    Sounds like the very reason to keep the county involved in nursing home care. Unless your attitude is screw the old sick people.

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  2. Bernie O'HareOctober 2, 2013 at 1:05 AM

    It is not my attitude to screw old people. I happen to be one. I am pointing to trends that mean money that traditionally flowed into the coffers of nursing homes will instead be directed at keeping them in their homes. I still have research to do, but if that is so, the county will have no choice but to get out of the business or change it.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 7:23 AM

    Think death panels, or, as the call it in Great Britain, the path. There comes a time when old folks must follow the Aleut Indian elders tradition. Chop off your ice floe and push off, never to be a burden to the future. This is Obamacare. And you can't keep your damn doctor. Stop whining. He was a shit anyway.

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  4. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 7:57 AM

    "In an effort to stretch the medicaid dollar, that means more emphasis will be placed on acute care, as opposed to the chronic care provided at nursing home. Reimbursements will go down."

    This is a very specific claim that has no basis in reality. The emphasis of Obamacare is preventive medicine, not acute care. If nursing home patients could be treated and released from an acute care hospital now, they would.

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  5. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 8:37 AM

    Oh brother. When you do your "research", consult National Review, Fox News, Daily Caller, and WorldNet Daily.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bernie O'HareOctober 2, 2013 at 8:41 AM

    "This is a very specific claim that has no basis in reality"

    Actually, it is a general claim.

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  7. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 1:08 PM

    If private homes feel there is no profit in caring for the very sick high upkeep elderly, they won't do it. Not everyone can be cared for at hone, that is just dumb on the face of it. So what will happen to them?

    Still sounds like either the county home will be their only resource or we just say, "screw em", tough luck.

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  8. AnonymousOctober 2, 2013 at 5:39 PM

    Keep riding thet "dump Gracedale; hoarse O'Hare. You remind me of a disposed Dictator's loyal spokesman. The people have overthrown Stoffa and Angle but you are still singing there rejected song.

    Gracedale is not going anywhere but Stoffa is being tossed out along with Angle.

    ReplyDelete

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