(STATEHOUSE) March 23, 2009 - Medicaid recipients would be allowed to choose whether to receive institutional care or home- and community-based care under a bill sponsored by Rep. Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville). The House voted 97-0 Monday to pass Senate Bill 438, authored by Sen. Vaneta Baker (R-Evansville) and sponsored in the House by Rep. Crouch. "This bill provides a basic right - the right of a family to care for their loved ones at home," said Rep. Crouch. "But it also gives freedom for families to choose what's best for them, whether that's care in a nursing home, leaving Grandma or Grandpa in their own home or bringing them home with you." Senate Bill 438 models a "money-follows-the-person" plan in which Medicaid funds are directed to whatever caretaker the patient chooses. The bill also makes these options available for recipients of the Community and Home Options to Institutional Care for the Elderly and Disabled program. "I don't think families should be bound a particular scenario when a loved one's health begins to fail," said Rep. Crouch. The bill received a unanimous 49-0 vote in the Senate before being referred to the House. It now goes to Gov. Mitch Daniels to be signed into law.
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