Home health care services are an increasingly important part of the health care system in a day and age where nearly 13% of Americans are age 65 and older. Looking at the 2010 census, the U.S. population will be increasingly old on average as time goes by , with an age median being driven up by the Baby Boom. With an aging population of course comes increasing health problems across the board, as well as a heightened need for daily care and supervision:
"This rapid growth of the older population may present challenges in the next two decades," said Victoria Velkoff, assistant chief for estimates and projections for the Census Bureau's Population Division. "It's also noteworthy that those 85 and older - who often require additional care giving and support - would increase from about 14 percent of the older population today to 21 percent in 2050."
More and more individuals have a need for home health care and day-to-day support to live. Despite the increased demand for home health care, budget cuts throughout the U.S. threaten to drastically reduce the amount of home health care services for the elderly, disabled, and poor.
In Texas, many fear that the proposed budget cuts will force many individuals into nursing homes: "The jobs barely pay more than minimum wage, but the state budget plans to cut reimbursement by $1 an hour. Some providers said it will run them out of the business," says Dallas local news source WFAA.com.
In Texas, around 200,000 people rely on state funded home health aides to administer daily services and the current budget would ask to reduce health and human services funding by $9 billion. In Nevada, the situation is strikingly similar where proposed Medicaid cuts to home health services would require closures or layoffs. ?
In Minnesota, the proposed budget would decrease spending on home care and other services for seniors and disabled people, end MinnesotaCare health care for 7,200 working adults and petition the government for permission to cut the Medicaid health plan for those below the poverty line .
The proposed cuts around the U.S. have sparked debate, rallied protestors, and encouraged activists to speak up on the importance of health care aids and services.
Author Resource:
This article was provided by Seasons Change Home Health Care Inc., a home health care provider based out of Pigeon, Michigan. For additional information, visit a Seasons Change Home Health location on the web.
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