And exceptions can be made in extreme cases. The reimbursement caps since have been lifted. We have never denied enough claims to frighten anybody into doing anything. Medicaid waivers can assist disabled people with such services as doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs, therapy and modifications to their homes. But unlike traditional Medicaid, which provides insurance coverage for all people in poverty, funding for the waivers is limited.
Assistance is provided on a sliding scale, depending on income.
A major drawback to both programs is that the demand far exceeds the funding. The wait can be months or years long, said Melissa Durr, executive director of the Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging, which administers the programs. The two most common ways to get off the lists are to die or to enter a nursing home. Nursing home care is automatically paid by Medicaid once a family has exhausted its financial resources. Durr estimated the increase will allow about 1,600 people a year to move off the waiting list.