Federal Changes for Senior Care?

The midterm election that occurred in November was a pivotal one, regardless of what your political beliefs might be. While there might not have been any clear determination as to which direction the country is headed, some progress has already been seen when it comes to the federal government’s view of senior care. In a recent speech, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar commented that social determinants need to be examined if healthcare is going to be improved.

 

Now, this might not seem like a key phrase, but it packs a lot of punch, especially when you take into account one of the later lines in that speech. Azar asked, “How can someone manage diabetes if they are constantly worrying about how they’re going to afford their meals each week?”

 

The implications for senior care should be a little bit more obvious now. How can seniors stay healthy and live a high standard of living if they do not have basic needs attended to?

 

Next, consider the fact that Azar made a speech shortly after this where he acknowledged how large the expense that the federal government has when it comes to care for the elderly. In this speech, he stated that “an individualized approach is especially important to supporting Americans with serious health care needs in their homes, rather than in an inpatient facility. No American should be in a nursing home who doesn’t need or want to be.”

 

While the task of individualizing senior care is an incredibly tough one. It is complex and requires a lot of training before it can approached correctly. But when it is done, the quality of care that an individual receives ends up being much higher. Not only that, the cost of care goes down. In-home care is also much cheaper than a stay in a nursing home.

 

It is projected that there may soon be changes with how the federal government approaches senior care.

 

The Secretary of Health and Human Services might be just one person within the government, but it is an important role. And it’s a stance that makes a lot of sense, regardless of what your thoughts are. Good care at a cheaper price is hard to argue against. Azar has a lot of influence over federal policies related to health care and senior care. These speeches signalled that he stands behind some of the policies and procedures that were implemented under the Affordable Care Act, and is in support of transitioning away from inefficient and unhelpful care models. In the end, it will be our elderly loved ones that benefit from this, if these proposed changes are become law.

 

The changes might still be a few years away from happening. In the meantime, having a good plan now for what you will do to help your older loved ones is the best policy that you can have.  Your older family members deserve the best care possible. If that means that you need to help them to find a caregiver that can meet their needs, then this is a relatively small task compared to the amount of good that it will do for them. Please feel free to get in touch with our office today if you have any questions or to see if our trained caregivers are the right choice for your family.

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