As baby boomers age, costs for long term care will continue to grow, and states like Vermont are doing something about it.
Vermont has instituted a program called Choice for Care, which allows all eligible recipients to choose long term care at home instead of a nursing home.
Many elderly people probably prefer to remain at home and independent, and the program will allow them more flexibility to do so. The program sends 12 nurses across the state to assess the needs of Vermont’s Medicaid recipients. From the Christian Science Monitor:
Some say home care would cost Vermont just half of what institutional care does. The state’s goal is to use savings accrued as seniors shift to home-based care to serve more people, including those who don’t qualify for Medicaid’s long-term services.
Long term care is costly. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nursing home costs totaled $40.6 billion in Medicaid payments in 2003. Look for other states to hop on the long-term-care-at-home bandwagon.