Oftentimes when it is clear that an elderly parent or loved one has a need for long-term health care, some might panic, wondering how to pay for expenses. This is especially true if the person needing care doesn’t have the means to pay for care themselves. The good news is that in most cases, the government will help pay for Orlando in-home health care from a service provider such as BrightStar Care if the person in need can’t afford it. The real question is whether a person qualifies for Medicare or Medicaid assistance, or both.
The first thing to look at is the age of the person involved—those 65 and over will qualify for Medicare (original)—the amount of assistance they can expect will depend on if they have purchased supplemental insurance or not. Medicare original has what’s known as the Medicare home health benefit and it covers certain services provided at home under certain circumstances. Generally it applies to those with serious disabilities (they must be homebound, for instance—and a doctor must be willing to sign off on it). Go HERE to find out if your loved one qualifies. Supplemental insurance plans vary, meaning check with the purchased insurance carrier to see what’s covered.
Finding out if a loved one qualifies for Medicaid in-home care takes time as it’s a program run by both the federal and state government—and it’s up to the state in most cases, to decide if your loved one qualifies. To qualify a person must meet two general eligibility requirements: have a very low income and some form of disability. The exact services that Medicaid will pay for differ from state to state. To find out if your loved one qualifies you’ll need to contact (or visit the web site) the Medicaid office for the state in which your loved one lives, or dial 1-800-MEDICARE and say “Medicaid” when the machine answers.
If you discover that your loved one doesn’t qualify for government assistance, or is only eligible for limited services, don’t panic—Orlando in-home health care such as that offered by BrightStar doesn’t cost nearly as much as many might expect. If your loved one requires a weekly ride to the grocery store, for example, that can be arranged—there’s no need to pay for a litany of services not required. For a list of the wide range of services we offer, please contact our office.