They could limit lawsuits against nursing homes without attempting to improve care or provide more in-home care alternatives. Or they could do nothing about lawsuits and, according to Mullen, risk the collapse of the nursing home industry. Or they could reconsider promised tax cuts. That's not an option, said Bush aide Elizabeth Hirst. Bush is aware of the Medicaid money problems, she said, but he's committed to both tax cuts and in-home care and nursing home budget increases.
Health care costs money.
It was the biggest proposed increase in 15 years and sorely needed. Thousands of people who have asked for help over the past several months remain on waiting lists because there's not enough money. The way the elder care system has always worked fits neatly with Bush's vision. The health maintenance organizations offer help to disabled older people on Medicaid for a sum that is less than a nursing home payment. But these would be different.