Senator Supports Home Health Care

Recently, U.S. Senator Susan Collins [R-ME] wrote an article for the St. John Valley Times touting the importance of home care.

In her article, she points out the importance of shifting our health care focus from institutional care to home-based care.  She also discusses that not only is home care preferred by most patients, it’s also the most affordable means of care delivery.

Senator Collins goes on to say, “It costs Medicare almost $2,000 per day for a typical hospital stay, and $559 per day for a typical nursing home stay.  How much does Medicare pay for home care?  Just $44 a day…slightly more than two percent of the cost of a typical hospital day.”

In the article, Senator Collins expresses her concern about the cuts that home health could see under the new health care law.  She says, “While home health represents just five percent of Medicare spending, it took a disproportionate 10 percent in Medicare payment cuts used to pay for the new health entitlement.  Moreover, these cuts are a ‘double whammy’ because they come on top of the more than $30 billion in cuts that have been imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through regulation.”

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