The federal Affordable Care Act, enacted in 2009, contained a provision that surprised many people. A concerted effort by a wide variety of organizations resulted in a provision to begin addressing a gaping hole in our social safety net that most people do not know exists.
Most people believe that existing health insurance, and certainly Medicare, covers the cost of services and supports needed by people who can no longer perform activities of daily living, such as dressing, eating, toileting, or getting around. It doesn’t. The only option for people who have not saved enough to purchase these services, or purchased long-term care insurance when healthy enough to qualify, is to spend themselves into poverty and enter a nursing facility that accepts the meager reimbursement offered by Medi-Cal.
