FREMONT, Neb.-
Residents in assisted living facilities in three Nebraska cities have been served notice after the company operating the homes decided to no longer take Medicaid.
Officials at Assisted Living Concepts say Medicaid no longer covers the costs of caring for the residents.
The change means 26 people at homes in Fremont, Wahoo and Blair need to move out by June 30.
“At this point, the Medicaid program pays less than it costs us to take care of folks,” said Laurie Bebo, president and chief operating officer of Assisted Living Concepts. “Now the private pay folks are subsidizing the Medicaid folks.”
Bebo said people who pay for assisted living care pay 50 percent more than Medicaid residents—about $25 below what it costs to care for a resident each day.
Milwaukee-based Assisted Living Concepts runs 207 facilities in 17 states with 8,300 units. All the facilities nationwide will be affected by the change.
“It was home to me. I knew everybody by first name and I had a lot of friends call on me,” said Wilbert Peters, 87, who lived at the Pathfinder House in Fremont for eight years. “I think it’s a dirty deal.”
Peters moved to another home in Elkhorn, about 20 miles away.
“I didn’t want to move. I liked the staff and I liked the people there,” Peters said. “It was hard to leave.”
Gerontology studies have shown that moving can have negative psychological effects on elder residents who grow to call the facilities home.
Bebo said the company gave as much notice as they could, more than what was legally required.
“At this time, this is what’s in the best interest of my residents and the company,” Bebo said. “We’ll continue to evaluate these kind of programs.”
The Medicaid waiver program keeps people out of expensive nursing homes when they don’t need that level of care, said Kathie Osterman of Nebraska Health and Human Services.
Instead, Medicaid helps pay for additional services at the homes, which helps the government save money, Osterman said.
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Information from: Fremont Tribune,
