Home health agencies protest allowing independent care providers

At a hearing before the Ohio Department of Aging, agencies that provide home-health and hospice care to Medicaid-eligible seniors strongly urged state officials to reject a plan that would allow self-employed workers to offer those services (Source: “Agencies serving Medicaid seniors rip plan for independent caregivers,” Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 21, 2010).

Under the proposal being considered by the state, the nearly 32,000 Medicaid-eligible seniors served in the state's PASSPORT program would be able to choose whether to hire a provider through an agency or  on their own.

Department of Aging Director Barbara Riley said after the hearing that seniors on Medicaid should have the choice to hire someone they know, such as a neighbor, friend or relative, to provide care, a choice that is available to other who need home-care services.

However, the agency representatives said the change would likely increase fraud and lower the quality of care.