Are you sure you want to count on Medicaid to pay for LTC?

The bottom line, illustrated in this May, 2014 New York Times story, is that there’s been an increasing trend towards managed care for Medicaid patients. The patients featured in this story are Medicaid-paid long-term care (LTC) recipients. An increasing number of Medicaid providers are paid “capitated” rates. Capitated means they get a flat, per person allowance to care for each Medicaid recipient. In the Medicaid-paid LTC described in the article, providers are “cherry picking” out less needful, easier to care for patients, leaving more needful LTC patients with fewer options.

A reasonably priced long-term care insurance (LTCi) policy is a better option than planning on letting Medicaid pay for your long-term care.