Roughly 94% of Medicare beneficiaries want to receive post-acute care in the home rather than a skilled nursing facility, according to results of a Morning Consult poll released today.
The poll was conducted on behalf of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), along with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC).
That’s more than nine in 10 beneficiaries, with only 3% opting for a nursing home for post-hospital, short-term health care.
The poll found 85% believe Medicare expansion for at-home health care should be a “high priority,” in order to accomodate a shift in public preference. Interestingly, Morning Consult also found that two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries, about 66%, say they’re not familiar with the Medicare benefit option to receive short-term care either in the home or in a nursing home.
About 86% of adults, 94% of whom are Medicare beneficiaries, said they support the bipartisan Choose Home Care Act of 2021 — legislation aiming to give Americans more choices of where to recover following a hospital stay.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has said it “adamantly opposes” the bill in its current form, saying the legislation creates duplicative payments and increases out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries.
“It is understandable that most people say they prefer to remain in their homes, but we believe that if Medicare beneficiaries and policymakers went beyond the surface of the Choose Act, they would find it confusing, limiting and costly,” AHCA/NCAL said in an email to SNN. “Ultimately, this bill fails to live up to its namesake, and we look forward to working with policymakers to identify better ways to ensure that seniors receive coverage for the care they need in their preferred and most appropriate setting without forfeiting longstanding benefit protections.”
Larger operators see opportunity in the shift, taking a different perspective from the aging services organization.
“I think it’s a complement, it’s not a competitor,” Ignite Medical Resorts CEO and Co-Founder Tim Fields said during a panel discussion at the Skilled Nursing News RETHINK conference Sept. 1, referring generally to home health care.
Home health is getting the “easy breezy” orthopedic rehab sessions and SNFs are taking on higher acuity patients, Fields said.
Mike Bailey, CEO of American Health Partners, said he considers the preference shift an “opportunity,” echoing Fields’ thoughts on SNFs becoming the best option for frail adults needing more acute care.
Home health organizations say the legislation is “critical” to ensuring family and patient preferences are being met.
“In order to ensure more older Americans are able to recover from hospitalization in the setting they prefer and deserve, we urge lawmakers in Congress to support the Choose Home Care Act,” Joanne Cunningham, executive director of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare , said in a statement.
Companies featured in this article:
AHCA/NCAL, American Health Partners, Ignite Medical Resorts, Morning Consult, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare
