Maryland to Receive $1.7 M in HHS Grants to Help Seniors and Disabled Individuals in Homes

Our Baltimore nursing home attorneys have been following the recent news release that the state of Maryland is slated to collect around $1.7 million in grants by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to help disabled people, seniors, and their health care givers to better comprehend and explore their long-term health care options.

The Maryland grants are reportedly being distributed by HHS as part of a new program under the Affordable Care Act. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced yesterday that under the act, around $68 million in grants will be awarded to states, tribal and community-based organizations, and territories across the country.

Sebelius stated that the Affordable Care Act will help to give individuals more power to make decisions about finding quality health care in nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities— to improve the level of care, and reduce the cost.

The national funds will reportedly be used for programs that will aim to help disabled people and the elderly and their families and caregivers to better comprehend their benefits under Medicaid and Medicare. The grant money is also intended to help seniors and disabled individuals to better understand their long-term health care options, including those that help people to remain with in nursing homes, and those to help ease the transition for people who are moving back to their home residents, after residing in a nursing home or rehabilitation facility.

According to the HHS, the $1.7 million in Maryland grant money will include:

• $595,000 for outreach support to the Medicare recipients to help them understand their benefits, which include preventive service coverage
• $500,000 for programs to counsel people about the many health services that are offered to them in and around their community
• $397,560 for state Medicaid agencies as they move to transition individuals from nursing home care to health care that is community based

• $199,660 will go to developing programs to assist reducing the number of readmissions to hospitals.

The Maryland grants are being maintained by the HHS Administration on Aging as well as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Our nursing home injury attorneys at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers support the rights for Maryland and Washington D.C. residents to receive excellent care in a nursing home environment that improves and maintains the quality of a resident’s mental and physical health, and is free from any negligence that could lead to personal injury. Contact us today.

Maryland Wins $1.7M for Health Care Options, Baltimore Business Journal, September 28, 2010
State Receives Grant to Aid Health System Navigation, The Baltimore Sun, September 27, 2010
HHS Announces New Grants and Programs from the Affordable Care Act to Help People Navigate Health and Long-term Care Options, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) News Release, September 27, 2010

Related Web Resources:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration on Aging (AOA), Health Reform and the Aging Network

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