How can Medicaid be used to finance the long-term care services provided to American Indians?
Mim Dixon, Consultant for Mim Dixon and Associates, urged Indian communities seeking to establish long-term care systems to access Medicaid funding to help pay for services. As Dr. Dixon noted, Federal guidelines enable each state to determine, within limits set by the Federal government, who is eligible for Medicaid, what services are covered, and the circumstances in which a particular service is provided to an individual. Although Federal guidelines do require that: • State Medicaid programs cover: • Skilled nursing facilities. • Home health aides. • Medical supplies. • Medical equipment. • States may choose to cover: • Personal care services. • Physical therapy. • Occupational therapy. • Speech pathology. • Audiology. • Rehabilitation. • Private duty nursing. • Transportation. In addition, States may obtain a Home and Community Based Services Waiver (also referred to as a 1915(c) waiver) that enables them to cover the following services to people who would otherwise require nursing
