Wyoming Medicaid is removing a cap on the number of people who can receive long-term care at home. Long-term care is assistance for older adults who are not able to function on their own.
Jesse Springer with Wyoming Medicaid says the change will mean that more elderly individuals will have the option to stay in their homes or communities, rather than move to nursing homes. He says it also makes financial sense.
“We don’t have a cap on how many people can go to a nursing home right now,” Springer said. “But we did have a cap on the less expensive option of staying in your home and just getting home health or some sort of day-to-day assistance. … So we were capping the less expensive service and not capping the more expensive service.”
The change comes as a result of legislation that was passed earlier this year.
The Wyoming Department of Health is inviting input from the public as it irons out the details of the change. The department is hosting a meeting on August 13th in Cheyenne.
