A Race for Medicare Dollars

"Competition for short-term rehab patients has become intense because Medicare, the health insurance program for older adults, pays 84% more for short-term patients than nursing homes typically get from Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, for long-term residents."
 NY Times April 15, 2015

I certainly found that to be a problem when I was looking for a suitable facility for my loved one.  A number of the facilities I would have considered were taking no long-term care residents, because they were entirely focused on the short-term, rehab patients for whom they get more pay.  This was true even though we were private pay and not Medicaid.  In his current care facility I see patients come and go -- they are the ones in for rehab after some kind of surgery.  If you are looking for a care facility, this will be something to keep in mind.  This article also cautions us to consider if the care for our long-term loved one is not marginalized because of the facility emphasis on the higher-paying rehab patients.  Something to watch.