Nursing Home Residents Won’t Be Affected by Medi-Cal Budget Cuts

According to Elder Law attorney Gene L. Osofsky, of the law firm
Osofsky & Osofsky, the fear factor is high among Californians that
many of our Elders in nursing homes may be directly impacted by
Medi-Cal budget cuts. While this isn’t true, for Elders not living in
nursing homes the story might play out quite differently.

July 28, 2009, was the day when embattled California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger signed the new budget into law. “Like most states,
California has been greatly affected by the serious recession that
began in late 2007,” says Elder Law attorney Gene L. Osofsky of the law
firm Osofsky & Osofsky, “and budget cuts to programs serving our
Elders have not been immune.” Consequently, fears from Osofsky’s
clients and colleagues about how residents of California nursing homes
might fare in Governor Schwarzenegger’s controversial budget have
fueled rampant speculation. Many California nursing home residents rely
significantly if not primarily upon Medi-Cal to help pay for their
care. But there is good news to be found. “Residents of California
nursing homes won’t have their Medi-Cal subsidies for ancillary
services such as dental and podiatric care directly affected,” explains
Osofsky, “Although the budget cuts made to close the $26 billion gap
will have a tremendous effect upon Medi-Cal programs for persons not
residing in nursing homes, upon child welfare programs, AIDS
prevention, adult day care, and low cost health insurance for low
income children.”

Specifically, Medi-Cal funding to skilled nursing facilities has
been penciled in at $96.4 million in the Governor’s budget, but a raft
of caveats have been included in the budget as a whole. “There will be
a reduction of $60.5 million in Medi-Cal county administration, and
also a reduction of $47.9 million in the funding for private
hospitals,” Osofsky says, “as well as limiting services to a maximum of
three days per weeks – at a savings of $28.1 million – for adult day
health care.”

These austerity measures are likely to adversely affect many
Californians who may be Elders both directly and indirectly, depending
upon their circumstances. “A few years from now, the ripples from these
recession-beating budgetary maneuvers may prove more far-reaching than
anyone first anticipated,” Osofsky concludes.

To learn more about East Bay elder law lawyers, East Bay elder law attorney, Medi-Cal planning, Medi-Cal planning lawyers and The Law Offices of Osofsky & Osofsky, visit Lawyerforseniors.com.