Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names.
Lawmakers Must Protect Home Health To Alleviate Hospital Bottlenecks
The stark reality that countless seniors lie stranded in emergency rooms across the country waiting for care underscores the need for models of care that better support older Americans (“Stranded in the ER, Seniors Await Hospital Care and Suffer Avoidable Harm,” May 6). As KFF Health News reports, even if patients need to be admitted, at times, there are simply no rooms available.
As noted in the article, the backlog of patients waiting to be discharged to home health care has partly contributed to this problem in ERs. Medicare’s home health care program enables complex, disabled, and older patients to receive care and rehabilitation in their own homes after their hospitalization. Not only is this the preferred site of care by patients and their families, but it also helps open needed hospital beds and lessens the burden on emergency rooms and hospital staff.
Unfortunately, years of Medicare cuts are making it harder for home health providers to meet growing demand and provide vital care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has repeatedly cut the Medicare home health program, and more cuts are expected in future years, already totaling $19 billion in cuts through 2029. Despite Medicare’s own data showing that home health saves taxpayers money, the cuts continue forcing home health providers to scale back the services they can provide, making it more difficult to recruit and retain staff, which ultimately harms patient access.
To protect home health and free up capacity …
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Letters to the Editor is a periodic feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names.
Lawmakers Must Protect Home Health To Alleviate Hospital Bottlenecks
The stark reality that countless seniors lie stranded in emergency rooms across the country waiting for care underscores the need for models of care that better support older Americans (“Stranded in the ER, Seniors Await Hospital Care and Suffer Avoidable Harm,” May 6). As KFF Health News reports, even if patients need to be admitted, at times, there are simply no rooms available.
As noted in the article, the backlog of patients waiting to be discharged to home health care has partly contributed to this problem in ERs. Medicare’s home health care program enables complex, disabled, and older patients to receive care and rehabilitation in their own homes after their hospitalization. Not only is this the preferred site of care by patients and their families, but it also helps open needed hospital beds and lessens the burden on emergency rooms and hospital staff.
Unfortunately, years of Medicare cuts are making it harder for home health providers to meet growing demand and provide vital care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has repeatedly cut the Medicare home health program, and more cuts are expected in future years, already totaling $19 billion in cuts through 2029. Despite Medicare’s own data showing that home health saves taxpayers money, the cuts continue forcing home health providers to scale back the services they can provide, making it more difficult to recruit and retain staff, which ultimately harms patient access.
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