patrick.net

Yeah more the reason to sweat and toil over your golden years while your young contributing to your 401K that either may or not be worthless when you need it. Let alone next month.

We can spend trillions in wars lose 7 billion unaccounted for in Iraq the interim government stole, spend untold more money on bombing countries we don't even have a formal declaration of war with. YET, we refuse to ponder a Government we entrust to provide basic needs for the sick and the elderly when private enterprise would rather dump them on the street.

You know Ellie my heart bleeds purple Piss for those for profit nursing homes, really. If they weren't there then we'd have provided a real solution by now.

You know in Asia, the eldest sibling is expected to provide for their elder parents. We're to Goddamn greedy for that.

But don't sit there try to make me feel sorry for the Medical establishment because Ruth Rosencrant kids are money grubbing bastards, and wont hand over Ruth's life savings to the company store.

Good for them, I say.

Oh, bass.

Please show me where in the post I defend the nursing homes. Please show me where in the post I even suggest you should feel sorry for the medical establishment.

You are so quick to decide what side of an issue someone is on, and then attack them. Obviously you believe that nursing homes are a bad solution to the caregiving needs of the elderly.

Nursing homes aren't state-run for the most part. The owners want to make money, and that's fine for them. They still have to follow the rules. It's a way to make money that's more honorable than wall street, and they're much more highly regulated.

When my mother had to be discharged from the hospital into a nursing home for rehab, the nursing home wouldn't take her unless I signed a paper saying I would be personally responsible for the bill if she couldn't pay. So, wouldn't they have been able to come after my assets if we hadn't paid??

Medicare was supposed to pay for up to six months, but they will only pay if the patient is making progress on rehab. The nursing home overmedicated my mother to the extent that she pretty much became a vegetable and stopped making progress on rehab, which stopped Medicare coverage. The bill for the first six weeks after Medicare stopped paying was over $10,000.

When I was finally able to buy a house where I could take care of her in my home, I stopped all the unecessary narcotics and she became able to function again--although never at the level she was at when she entered the nursing home. As far as I am concerned, they robbed us of what quality of life she had left, as well as our money.

Pam:
I'm so sorry for your experience. No, they wouldn't have been able to come after your assets. They simply don't tell you that. And they couldn't have evicted her without going thru the process - and then they still can't make her leave.

Medicare does pay up to 100 days, but you're correct in that they only pay if the patient is progressing. There were things that you could have done to stop them from over-prescribing meds, but they don't tell you that.

That's why I wrote the Nursing Home Survival Guide. Some nursing homes provide quality care without having to crawl down their throat - but if you must there are state agencies to help you along with laws & rules they have to follow.

Any money your mother owed should have come from her finances and only hers. They can't make you responsible for her bills.

My Dad was in a discharge from a nursing home in NH for non payment. I am his DPOA HC, NOT his POA. Just got served by a sheriff being sued along with my Dad as his POA and stating I signed the Admission Agreement of which I did not. I signed the responsible party which means if he did get discharged, I would take him back. That was before they broke his second hip. He was also drugged to the max on Haldol and Risperadol! Finally at a new nursing home and off all drugs. We actually can communicate somewhat. They ruined 1+ years of quality we could have had with him. This is a large amount of money they want that I do not have. He does not have it either. Again...sleepless nights!

Realtruth:

find yourself an attorney who specializes in nursing homes; he/she will review all the documents and also request medical records for a malpractice countersuit if what you say about their care is true. You were served in a civil lawsuit and you need an attorney.

The nursing home corp is hoping you'll get freaked out and pay the bill.

Are there any data comparing the life expectancy of nursing home patients who run out of money and go onto Medicaid or don't pay vs patients whose survival is more lucrative?

curious2 says

Are there any data comparing the life expectancy of nursing home patients who run out of money and go onto Medicaid or don't pay vs patients whose survival is more lucrative?

I haven't seen any - but I haven't looked, either.

Patients who pay privately and those who are one Medicaid are (supposed to) receive the same care. But I'm sure that there are people who are strongly encouraged to allow a family member to die if their care is too costly.

A private-pay patient whose nutrition is provided via g-tube can cost $10,000 to $15,000 per month. The same patient, on Medicaid, has his costs absorbed by the nursing home. Medicaid doesn't pay more, nor does the patient.

Patients whose costs will be prohibitive are often encouraged to go on hospice, not because it's what they want but because the hospital or other facility will save money.