Click here to watch a video to learn more about the Better Care Better Jobs Act.
Easy Read:
The Better Care Better Jobs Act is a bill in the 118th Congress.
The bill helps fund Medicaid programs.
The bill will improve Home and Community Based Services.
The bill will provide more benefits for direct care workers.
A direct care worker is someone who goes to your house to help you get ready for your day and learn new skills.
The bill will make the Money Follows the Person, MFP, program permanent. MFP, if you move somewhere, the services and money will follow you.
Definitions
Medicaid: A program from the government that gives you money to help pay for support you may need to pay for nursing care facilities, pay direct care workers, and help with long-term care such as daily living skills.
Home and Community Based Services: Services to help someone at home with getting dressed, learning new skills, help with cooking, and more living skills.
On January 26th, Senator Casey (D-PA) re-introduced the Better Care Better Jobs Act (S.100/ HR. 547)to the 118th Congress. The bill will enhance Medicaid funding for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) with a 10 percent increase. Specifically, the bill will give the states the ability to develop plans to expand access to Medicaid HCBS and strengthen the HCBS workforce. A part of this, states are required to report on the state’s existing HCBS landscape and describe how they will address gaps and disparities in access and utilization. During the planning period, states would continue to receive the level of enhanced federal funding for HCBS provided through the American Rescue Plan.
Additionally, the bill will make Money Follows the Person permanent. This would increase the use of HCBS and reduce the use of institutionally-based services, enable Medicaid-eligible individuals to receive support for appropriate and necessary long-term services and support in the settings of their choice, strengthen the ability of Medicaid programs to provide HCBS to people who choose to transition out of institutions, and put procedures in place to provide quality assurance and improve HCBS.
The bill is currently in the Senate Finance Committee.