Alfredia Williams
Grantham University: AH511
August 28, 2013
Nursing home industry provides residential care for people with a chronic illness or disability. The care is continual to individuals who require help with activities of daily living. Nursing home facilities supply rooms, meals, social activities, personal care, 24-hour nursing supervision and access to medical services when needed. There are three types of nursing facilities in the United States: Intermediate care facility (ICF), Assisted living facility (ALF), and Skilled nursing facility (SNF). “An intermediate care facility is a health care facility for individuals who are disabled, elderly, or non-acutely ill, usually providing less intensive …show more content…
The greatest liability facing the US healthcare industry financially is the retirement of the Baby Boomer generation. Baby boomers are just getting into old age; most will require assistance at home or in independent living facilities. Longer lifespan combined with this massive demographic shift combined to create a currently unfunded national fiscal liability. The Boomer generation visits doctors more than the generations that preceded them, adding to the general burden they place on the healthcare industry. The demographic trends have serious implications for the financing and delivery of long term care …show more content…
Growth will continue in the nursing industry; it could also slow down a little. The main reason for that revolves around healthcare reform. “Medicaid is the dominant payer of nursing home services in the United States, accounting for roughly half of all nursing home spending” (Grabowski, Angelelli,& Mor, 2004). By the next year or two Medicaid payments will be cut to nursing facilities because of reform. Medicaid is the United States health benefit program that helps provide for certain people and families if they have low incomes and limited financial resources. Nursing home care is covered through Medicaid. The Medicaid program is run by the individual states and each state has their own requirements for eligibility. In order to qualify for Medicaid coverage, people will have to spend most of their assets by paying for nursing home care out of pocket, and Medicaid would kick in once their money runs out.
All residents in a nursing home have some type of medical need that requires care. More and more patients arrive from the hospital to nursing facilities than they once did. The reason for this is because hospitals discharge patients quicker and sicker to contain costs. Some also contend that assisted-living arrangements are siphoning off healthier patients (Schmitt, 2002). These nursing facilities can take care of just about any medical need that