Do Not Fret: Senior Home Care And Medicare

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Senior care is quickly becoming a growing concern for baby boomers. Those born in the post world war two era (between 1943 and 1960) are entering retirement and getting their AARP cards with a sudden frequency matching that of their collective birth. With that comes a growing concern for their impending senior care. Senior care is decidedly different now than it was for their parents. The parents of the baby boomers were mostly born in the roaring twenties, and lived through the great depression, and era that saw a drastic increase in multifamily homes. Back in those times, senior care meant one of two things; either bringing mom or dad to live with you, or (if you had enough money) moving them to a nursing home. These days, things are remarkably different. There seems to be a call back to days gone by, when seniors were respected and revered for their wisdom, as opposed to being shuffled off to some cold, clinical institution like something that has passed its prime. With this welcome change comes an increasing propensity toward senior home care (not to be confused with care in a senior home).

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... major concern for the increasing flock of seniors to be is having their senior care paid for. While many baby boomers took pains to save and squirrel away a retirement fund, and with that, a fund for their ongoing care later in life, some did not, or were not able to. Those that weren’t able for whatever reason to save a nest egg for their senior care will have to be reliant upon programs that were being conceived around the same time they were, such as Medicare.

President Truman sent a message to the Congress of the United States that asked for legislation to establish a national health insurance plan in 1945. Toward the end of his administration, Truman had stopped pursuing Congress for a universal coverage plan. However, people in the administration department of the Social Security system, as well as others, had already begun focusing on the notion of some sort of program to see to the insurance of Social Security beneficiaries. On July 30, 1965, after twenty years of intense debate complete with the plans opponents’ constantly admonishing people about the perils of "socialized medicine," a resolution was finally reached. Medicare, (not to be confused with Medicaid, which is a program designed to insure indigent recipients) was finally made a law by President Johnson, and former president Truman is the very first enrollee in the newly formed Medicare plan. At that time, the premium for Medicare Part B was $3 a month. Meager by today’s standards, but three dollars once went much farther than it does today.



Because of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, baby boomers will have access to decent senior home care when the time comes that they need it. While the program is always being improved and modified, the fact is that as long as we continue to be socially conscious and accountable, our seniors need not worry too much about the funding for their long term care, because Medicare isn’t going anywhere.

Kris Leeds is a freelance writer for Visiting Angels, a leading senior care and assisted living alternatives provider. For more information about elder care services , please visit Visiting Angels online.