Weighing the Costs of Cutting Home-Care Services

When the Wyoming Legislature convenes in Cheyenne early next year they will be tasked with a budget deficit in the neighborhood of $750 million. Tom Lacock with AARP Wyoming says that possible cuts to some programs may actually end up costing taxpayers more and in order for older residents to age in place, they need home health care, help with chores, bathing and other community-based services.

Lacock said the Community Choices Waiver is a program that helps people get nursing home level care in their own home for less than half the cost of a skilled care facility. According to the Wyoming Department of Health, the waiver has saved the state up to $66 million since 2014.

Lacock said since Wyoming’s aging population is the fastest growing in the nation behind Florida, maintaining home and community-based services will become increasingly important down the road, adding that when people can’t afford care at a nursing home, the federal government only picks up half the bill, leaving the state to come up with roughly 70-million dollars per year.