Finally, President Barack Obama got one right: Yesterday President Obama announced plans to boost measures to allow patients with disabilities to remain in their homes instead of being institutionalized.
10 years ago yesterday the Supreme court made a landmark decision on Olmstead vs. L.C., which said that the Medicaid/Medicare rules limiting round-the-clock medical care to only those patients in nursing facilities violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: Having the choice to live independently,” President Obama said in a statement <3> intended to kick off what he termed “The Year of Community Living.”
“I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration’s commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation,” Obama said. READ MORE…
As a home health nurse (RN) I can appreciate this announcement because for decades (mostly poor and black) families have been denied round-the-clock in-home care by the government unless their family member is in a nursing home.
The previous Medicare rules were unfair to families who couldn’t afford to pay out of their pockets to keep their loved ones at home with the assistance of visiting nurses or in-home nursing. This is certainly a step in the right direction!
This measure also means more money for home health companies whose nurses are the hardest working and most compassionate nurses in the medical profession (if I may say so myself).
