An Ambiguous Federal Medicaid Cliff Can Force D.C. Seniors Into Nursing Homes
Mrs. Jones died fighting for the healthcare she thought she deserved.
She was 89 years old. She spent her whole adult life working for the federal government, and when her health began to decline a decade ago, she was living off of social security checks and a modest pension, which combined to $1,099 a month. (City Paper is using Jones’ last name to respect her family’s wish for privacy.) Soon, her healthcare costs were several times that amount. But D.C. was there to help. She got on District Medicaid, and for years, she lived quietly at home with her husband, counting on the city to take care of her.
And then her husband passed away.
That was when everything changed. Now single, she started to receive a bit more money from social security, and rather than helping pay the bills, that extra money turned out to be devastating.
In the spring of 2017, the District sent her a letter: “Because you have too much income, your current eligibility for [home-care based services] will end on 05/31/2017.” While she still did not have nearly enough money to pay for her care on her own, her income was now just over Medicaid’s threshold of $2,205 a month. She was being kicked out of care completely.
Read more: https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/21064249/an-ambiguous-federal-medicaid-cliff-can-force-dc-seniors-into-nursing-homes
