INDEPENDENCE

More than half of Americans over the age of 65 will need long-term care at some point, either at home or in a nursing home. But this care is too expensive for all but the wealthiest older Tennesseans: a nursing home room costs over $90,000 per year and a home health aide over $45,000. For many who can’t afford these services or run out of resources, Tennessee’s Medicaid long-term care program, known as TennCare CHOICES, is the only option. Tens of thousands of people apply for CHOICES each year and 60% of all nursing home residents in Tennessee are covered by it.

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But getting, keeping, and navigating CHOICES isn’t easy. Tennessee has some of the most restrictive rules in the nation. Hundreds of people each year call our office because they desperately need long-term care and can’t get it. We’ve seen TennCare deny many people that were actually eligible including:

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• an elderly woman, 98 years old, who had been living in a nursing home for years,

• a young man in a coma, denied because he was unable to get a copy of his bank statement, and

• a middle-aged woman who was left quadriplegic and fighting for her life after a tragic car accident that killed her husband.

 

Older adults and people with disabilities deserve the supports they need to be independent, healthy, and to participate in their communities, without red tape.

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Register for our monthly Independence Newsletter to find out more and get involved to make sure every Tennessean can get appropriate long-term care when they need it most.

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And if you or a loved one has been denied or cut off from  long-term care simpliy because of red-tape, please fill out the story form. We will follow up with you about how your story can make a difference.  Your voice is powerful and it is the most important tool we have to address these problems.