Question

How would discovering the cause of the Medicaid Waiver waiting list contribute to society and human welfare?

Answer 1

The home and community-based (HCBS) waiver program was developed by Congress in 1981. These waivers enable countries to extend home-based and community-based Medicaid services to people who would otherwise qualify in a nursing home or institution for care if they choose. These waivers essentially enable Medicaid's truly needy people to receive extra care they need without being institutionalized.

The waiver programs include, among other debilitating circumstances, people with serious intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and mental illness.

Homemaker or home health care facilities, personal care, adult day care, habilitation, respite care, day care, psycho-social rehabilitation services, clinic facilities for people with chronic mental illness, and more may include benefits for these vulnerable people.

Medicaid Waivers, sometimes referred to as Home and Community Based Services, enables Medicaid to finance support and services for kids and adults with disabilities in their households or communities rather than organizations. Medicaid Waivers allows a person to use traditional Medicaid services and extra services through the Medicaid Waiver program.

Most countries presently run at least one HCBS waiver program or through their traditional Medicaid programs provide HCBS facilities. Because these programs are optional, registration may be restricted by countries. Once the registration reaches its cap, people are put on the waiting lists.

Medicaid fills an important gap as the sole source of coverage for most HCBS. While waiver waiting lists suggest some degree of unmet need for HCBS, this reflects and is more accurately attributed to gaps in the U.S. health care system as a whole, not shortcomings of Medicaid alone.