The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 through partisan votes in Congress and signed into law. It is more commonly referred to as Obamacare and regardless about how one feels about the law, it is affecting every aspect of health care, including elderly care.

There are some important things to know about the law and how it will impact elder care services and even individual elderly care providers.

Perhaps the most significant aspect about the law that will affect elderly care has to do with the subsequent Medicare cuts that are being implemented during the next few years to help offset the cost of the bill itself. These cuts, about 14 percent of the previous Medicare spending, will impact home care aides and services that are commonly used for elderly patients who are unable to care for themselves properly or who need assistance at home while recovering from an illness or injury.

Because of these cuts, and due to the fact that most home care agencies and providers actually operate on profit margins of less than 8 percent, some less than 5 percent, it means that there will likely be cuts to the number of elderly care providers that serve the patients in their care. This could reduce the amount of direct care that patients will receive.

Another aspect about the ACA law is that the federal government is placing more pressure on hospitals to reduce readmission rates. This refers to the amount of times that patients are readmitted to a hospital for an injury, illness, or other ailment within 30 days of being discharged initially. The federal government is planning on not only withholding Medicare payments to hospitals that don’t comply, but also penalizing those institutions.

This is placing even greater pressure on elderly care at home or in nursing homes. By reducing the amount of time that patients stay in the hospital, yet also requiring hospitals to reduce readmission rates, that means that recovery at home will be even more critical, and that can place a lot more pressure on the patients as well as their family members.

The ACA was designed to completely transform the health care industry and the early indications are that it will do just that. Some of the changes may be positive ones, but the collateral damage that is caused as a result is yet to be determined, but regardless of the long-term impact, short-term elderly care becomes much more important for every aging patient.

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Donna Wrabel, LMSW

Co-Owner at At Your Side Home Care

For most of us, the word "home" evokes warm feelings of comfort, security and well-being. For older adults, home also means holding tight to cherished memories and maintaining self-esteem and independence. When illness, injury or age make life a little more challenging, remaining at home in a comfortable, familiar environment encourages recovery and enhances the quality of life. Home can be defined as a private residence, an independent or assisted living facility or even a short term stay in the hospital, we recognize the additional benefits provided by a personal, professional assistant.

Our Certified Nurse Aides, 24-Hour Live-in Assistants and Home Health Aides are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We also provide the security and confidence of 24-hour Telephone Assistance, so fast, reliable help is always available when it's needed. To learn more about our homecare services see our homecare services page.

Different people need different levels of homecare. To meet the requirements of our clients, At Your Side Homecare maintains consistent staffing levels of caring professionals. Homecare service is available for as little as a few hours a week, or as many as 24 hours a day, seven days a week

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