Freezing Services for Seniors

Although the Senate budget restores $1.15 million in funding for Service Link, an online service that connects seniors with senior specific services, the Senate budget reduces General Fund appropriations for additional senior services by $2.3 million, affecting more than 1,600 seniors, including those with dementia and those who live in congregate housing. 

Such reductions could make it more likely that more seniors are placed in residential long-term care services, such as nursing homes, rather than remaining with their families in or in their communities.

Of note, nursing homes are largely financed by Medicaid in New Hampshire. New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services reports that the annual cost per patient for intermediate care facility nursing home services was $30,573 in FY 2010. Thus, if only 10 percent of the seniors affected by these reductions obtain Medicaid financed intermediate nursing home care, the General Fund share of these costs will be approximately $2.4 million per year, erasing the savings generated by the Senate’s proposed cuts in one fiscal year and increasing the state’s General Fund obligations thereafter.

I appreciate Representative Bettencourt’s concern for the seniors as he wrote in his letter to the editor in the local papers this past week, but not sure how much. All well and good to restore Service Link who do provide a valuable resource to our seniors, but when you go and cut programs seniors depend on... Service Link will have no place to refer them to...just plain old common sense!