Ok, I know that sounds a little scary. Unfortunately there are a very large population of Americans that live paycheck to paycheck. Even worse is that number continues to grow as inflation continues to rise. Part two of that equation is health care coverage.
Different avenues of obtaining coverage
A large proportion of working age Americans are able to obtain coverage through an employer. Some are even able to cover the family through their employer. Some who work for small businesses can get affordable coverage through the Healthcare Marketplace with subsidies. Others have to rely on Medicaid to cover their Healthcare.
Predominantly those on Medicaid are some of our most vulnerable populations. These include poor but working families, children, and geriatrics. Without Medicaid these populations would be at significant risk of a medical catastrophe.
All throughout the country medicaid helps to pay for services that are vital for our vulnerable communities. This includes school lunches, meals on wheels, after school care programs, and even daycare services for geriatrics.
Lack of prevention leads to significant chronic costs
Without early intervention and prevention strategies, often times health can deteriorate quickly into more debilitating and costly chronic conditions.
Medicaid covered programs that focus on education and prevention of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and even substance abuse including tobacco and alcohol, can significantly decrease overall Healthcare costs.
Lifeline for Geriatrics
Medicaid is a lifeline for a good proportion of our geriatric population. It is the supplement to Medicare and can assist with services that many geriatrics cannot afford on their own.
Medicaid can help supplement assistance for continuing to live and age at home. They can assist with caregivers, rides to doctors appointments, and covering the cost of medications.
Upon a catastrophic event such as a fall or major illness requiring hospitalization, often times this can be the lifeline for recovery. Medicare does cover events from an event such as the hospital and the beginning of therapy at a skilled nursing facility. But once you are past 20 days there is a significant co-pay. Many times the only saving grace for these residents is medicaid covering the co-pay.
This is even more pronounced if there is not an ability to safely return home. Without Medicaid covering the long term bed, often these residents will go back home to an unsafe condition. This situation more times than not results in a return to the hospital and becomes a revolving door.
Medicaid cuts
Currently now in our government there is the desire to cut spending. One of those areas could be medicaid. Cuts to medicaid funding can and will directly impact all of these services and significantly impact children and geriatrics. All too often there is a focus on the bad apples that take advantage of the system. It’s all too easy to lose sight of the massive benefits this program has for our most vulnerable populations.
All of us need to advocate for those that cannot. We need to be a voice for the unheard and unseen at the federal level of government. Without access to these vital services, many children and geriatrics in this country will feel a significant detriment to their health and security. So please, reach out to your senators and representatives and make sure that the full effects of cuts to funding and services is apparent to them and not just numbers. There are many ways to advocate, but one of the easiest is through ADVION. Please be a voice. You might just save a life.
