MCKNIGHT: Almost 1 in 3 Medicaid beneficiaries report using HCBS 5 years after initiation, study finds
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that about 32.3% of low-income older adults who started using Medicaid home- and community-based services were still utilizing them five years later. Tracking 1,304 enrollees, the research found that among those who eventually stopped services, 25.2% ended with a community discharge, 16.2% transitioned to a nursing home, and 26.2% ended with death. Additionally, factors like prior nursing home use, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, and the timing of establishing Medicaid coverage significantly influenced long-term care outcomes and nursing home placement risks.
