Quote:
Originally Posted by lawmummy
Of course it's subsidized! Among other things, assisted living facilities rely on SSI and Medicaid.
And lest you think that it's a drop in the bucket, the average cost of a nursing home facility in PA is almost $6k per month - in this area, facilities tend to run about $8k per month. That's $100k per year. Most middle class people cannot afford these rates for very long. The nursing facilities bill Medicaid for the difference just like it was a doctor's visit (true, a lower rate but still a tidy sum). That's why the Lavins live in a $2 million home in Villanova. They are not relying on the limited incomes of their residents - they're relying on government subsidy. They just don't call it that.
be even more clear, this facility is not a non-profit, it is organized as a for-profit venture. There is not the least bit of charitable motive.
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Let's clarify a few things here.
(1) Ivy Ridge is licensed as a personal care home, not assisted living and not nursing home.
(2) Nursing homes cannot bill "the difference" to Medicaid for private pay residents. Most middle class people enter a nursing home as private pay (you have to have enough assets to pay for yourself for at least 3 months) and then switch to Medicaid coverage once their own assets are exhausted.
(3) Nursing home reimbursement rates from Medicaid are calculated using a very complicated formula, but in Philly average about $116 to $136/day. This is about 1/3 of the amount that a private pay person would pay.
(4) There is no third party reimbursement by Medicare or Medicaid for personal care homes in Pennsylvania. (see http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/disable/personalcareass istedliving/003670207.htm)
(5) There are currently 138 licensed personal care homes in Philadelphia with a total resident population of 3,413 (capacity is 4,788) Just under 1/2 of these residents are on SSI and it can be assumed that the $630/month they receive from SSI is all the facility receives for them.
There is no excuse for the conditions at Ivy Ridge, but let's not pretend they're getting lots of money from the federal and state governments to take care of these people. They're not. With that $570/month in SSI for each resident ($630-$60 that has to be returned), they have to provide food, utilities, round-the-clock staffing, transportation and insurance.