Some residents who drained their nest eggs to cover private-pay rates have been evicted after turning to Medicaid to pay their bills.
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Not surprising. It’s hard to find a doctor here that takes health insurance. Every one is obsessed with ‘private pay’ 
.
Just read this. Horrifying that these homes do not have to live up to a contract made that if the person paid down their assets would accept medicaid (plus social security I would think). Certainly need to get that in writing and have an attorney review the contract. Families would not make the same decision if this were set forth at the beginning.
I disagree that most doctors don’t take insurance. Except for phychiatric services and some very limited specialists, haven’t had this problem. May have to wait for an appointment, but can get in.
We did not expect assisted living to take Medicaid, even when assets go below $2k. Around here they are all private pay, and you go to a nursing home if you cannot private pay for AL. However, I also found out that nursing homes take you faster if you are private pay there too, and you might go on a waiting list if you are paying with Medicaid.
I do believe there was one subsidized resident at my mother’s assisted living, who had been there from the beginning- 25 years. I don’t know if Medicaid paid or there was some other subsidy and always speculated that having one or two folks in there who were not able to private pay may have been a condition by the city or state for construction. The rest of the apartments are market rate.
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I think that is true of most assisted living places here as well. However, assuming the article is factual, these places agreed to take medicaid and then changed the terms.
My mil was on the board of an assisted living facility for years and years. It was private pay until they could no longer attract residents without a Medicaid waver. So now they do and have filled up their facility which helps pay the bills.
It’s very unfortunate that these facilities decided not to accept the conditions that their residents were told when they were moved there.
Right now I suspect these bean counters think that they will be able to fill their facility with private pay residents. They may find that like the place my mil volunteered for, that is going to be a tough lift.
I’m convinced that medical care is all about the beam counters and making targets. So that the directors can make their bonuses.
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I moved out of that area recently to be closer to healthcare providers that accept insurance. It’s only pockets of the country where they don’t, but it is a practice.
Interesting. Glad you were able to move. What is the point of having insurance if no providers area available??
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