‘We’re teetering on the edge.’ Are Medicaid rates making it harder to age at home in NH?

We are on the precipice. Medicaid rates in New Hampshire are exacerbating the difficulty of aging at home.

As the Baby Boomer population ages, the need for home-based care has grown exponentially. Unfortunately, New Hampshire’s Medicaid reimbursement rates are failing to keep pace with the demand. This shortfall is causing a bottleneck in the state’s home-based care system.

The state’s Medicaid program, Granite Advantage, covers a wide range of services for seniors, including home health, personal care, and hospice care services. But the reimbursement rates for these services are too low, making it difficult for providers to stay afloat financially. According to a recent report from the New Hampshire Office of Elderly Affairs, the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rates are only about half of what other states are paying.

The situation is particularly dire for hospice care services. The state’s reimbursement rate for hospice care is so low that many providers are unable to cover their costs and are forced to stop providing hospice care altogether. This has led to a severe shortage of hospice care in the state, leaving many seniors without access to the services they need.

Furthermore, the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rates do not adequately cover the costs of providing home health and personal care services either. As a result, many providers are going out of business or are forced to cut back on their services. This leaves many seniors with fewer options for aging at home.

The situation is dire in New Hampshire and the state must take action to address the problem. The state must increase its Medicaid reimbursement rates to ensure that home-based care providers can remain open and continue to provide the services seniors need. Otherwise, many seniors will be left without access to the care they need to age at home.