Home Health & Hospice Week

Demand for Medicaid home care services may increase under a program approved by the Affordable Care Act.

Four states -- Mississippi, Georgia, Miss-ouri and Iowa -- will receive increased Medicaid rates under the Balancing Incentive Program, CMS says in a release. Mississippi will receive a 5 percent bump and the other states 2 percent.

Under the BIP program, states that spend less than 50 percent of their long-term care budget on home- and community-based services receive the extra funds to increase the availability of home and community care for long-term needs.

Under the program, states must create a single-entry point for entering Long Term Supports and Services (LTSS), develop and implement a core standardized assessment, and commit to "conflict-free case management of services." A total of $3 billion is available under BIP.

"While most Medicaid dollars for long-term services and supports still go to institutions, the national percentage of Medicaid spending on home and community-based services has more than doubled from 20 percent in 1995 to 43 percent in 2009," CMS points out.