In many ways, it was a week of ups and downs for the home care world.
Among the ups: The House passed a $3.5 trillion budget package. It is so easy to get lost in the complexity of the legislative process, but this development looks promising. What does it mean for home care? It is not quite clear yet, as now the lawmakers have to hammer out what will go into the massive deal. But the prospects are exciting. A few legislative goodies that have a strong chance of being part of the mix:
- Money for Medicaid home- and community-based services, as outlined through the Better Care Better Jobs Act
- Funding for Medicare skilled care at home, a la the Choose Home Act
- Expanded Medicare coverage for vision and dental services
However the package takes shape, there is sure to be something for home care and home health, so providers can take heart.
Other ups: The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine. The green light gives credence to the treatment, which has helped avert countless hospitalizations and deaths, and ammunition against vaccine naysayers.
And along these lines, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice formed a valuable partnership with the National Minority Health Association and Flex for Checks program to help increase vaccinations in underserved communities. Kudos to NAHC.
Now to the downs: COVID-19 continues to be the unwanted house guest who can’t take a hint. As a result, the effort to eliminate it from the premises has been ratcheted up a notch. A few home care firms have taken the step to require vaccinations. Also, for the first time, a prominent home care association has lent its voice to the vaccination mandate cause. And today, New York opted to become the latest state to require home care vaccinations.
This move toward mandates no doubt is a bitter pill for providers to swallow. There is a reason why home care providers have been reluctant to issue required vaccinations. The threat of losing workers to other jobs and industries is real. But the silver lining is that workers and clients will be safer, and businesses may, ultimately, be healthier. And, so far, the massive loss of workers has not borne out in other healthcare settings.
Could this latest pandemic challenge offer an opportunity in disguise? Looking at the upside may be the best way to approach it.
Liza Berger is editor of McKnight’s Home Care. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her @lizaberger19.
This article originally appeared on McKnight's Senior Living
