Arkansas will receive $1.26 million from the Department of Health and Human Services to help seniors, individuals with disabilities and caregivers navigate their health care and long-term care options.
The announcement was made by Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and Rep. Vic Snyder.
The funds are allocated through the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in March as part of President Obama's push for health care overhaul.
The funds will be distributed two ways:
• $860,046 for Medicare Outreach and Assistance in Low Income Programs and Prevention Grants. This funding will provide outreach and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries concerning their benefits, including coverage for preventive services.
• $400,000 for Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) Nursing Home Transition Through “Money Follows the Person” Grants. These funds will help strengthen the ADRC’s role in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ “Money Follows the Person” program, which helps Arkansans receive support for appropriate and necessary long-term care services in the settings of their choice.
The funds will support education and outreach projects to help inform families about their Medicare and Medicaid benefits, including coverage for preventive services. It will also help families navigate options for long-term care, including community-based services that can help individuals remain in their homes, and assist those transitioning from nursing or rehabilitation facilities back home.
“Providing individuals with more information and more control over their own care is a main objective of health care reform,” said Snyder, a doctor. “Today’s funding brings another benefit of the health reform to reality at a time and to a group needing it most.”