Haven’t gotten the letter from Medicaid about mom’s application & is still self-pay at LTC.

Please update us on what you found out.

If you nor the facility has received an acceptance letter, Mom is not on Medicaid unless she had Medicaid for health prior to her facility stay. Have you checked with the finance office? Who authorized the Audiologist? Did the audiologist do a predetermination of coverage?

From what I get from the info below, this happens when Medicaid is ineffect. The NH receives Moms SS and any pension she has to help cover her care. (Income) So, from what I read, the NH will take the cost of the hearing aide out of Moms SS and then Medicaid will reimburse the facility when they prove they paid the bill. No Medicaid in effect, no payment.

Right now Mom is self-pay, that means she pays for the hearing aide too. How long has it been since you applied for Medicaid? Did the facility do the application? In my State u have 90 days to spend down and get info needed to them. Has anyone confirmed with the Medicaid Caseworker that all info has been received so the application can be processed?

By deducting the amount from Moms invoice, they must feel her Medicaid application will be excepted. Then when it is, they will send Medicaid the invoice and they will reimburse the facility. I think someone may have jumped the gun here. Why did you not wait until you got the Medicaid acceptance letter before having her fit for a hearing aide?

That sounds quite plausible, since mom is in the Medicaid process. It seems like they are treating it as part of the spend down.

Found this in the articles section:

Medicaid is essentially paying for the hearing aid by allowing the patient to divert some of their income for the purchase. Meanwhile, Medicaid pays the nursing home the cost of the hearing aid to make up for the diverted income.