Rhode Island operates two home health supports, both called Home and Community Care Co-Pay program, one through Medicaid and the other independent of it. Both programs offer substantially the same benefits for home health care and in-home support services but for somewhat different groups of beneficiaries.

The Home and Community Care Co-Pay Program for Medicaid Beneficiaries

Rhode Island’s Medicaid-based Home and Community Care Co-Pay program uses a managed care model to deliver home health and paramedical services for seniors who need the support to remain safely in their own homes. After a Medicaid-approved physician determines the need for ongoing home health support, senior beneficiaries can apply for the waiver and set up home health services through a state-authorized agency.

Medicaid funds that would otherwise go to support a nursing home placement can be used to pay for home health aide visits, home visits by nurses, wound care, home testing and other medical services. The waiver also covers much of the cost of durable medical equipment and consumable materials, such as bandages, along with some non-medical supports, such as caregiver and chore assistance.

The Home and Community Care Co-Pay Program for Non-Medicaid Beneficiaries

Seniors who need home health support services but who don’t meet the income and asset eligibility guidelines for Medicaid can still get help paying for necessary services through Rhode Island’s other Home and Community Care Co-Pay program. This program is operated directly by the state, without Medicaid funds, and it’s open to seniors who are not able to enroll in Medicaid.

The state program’s income and asset limitations are more generous than the Medicaid system allows, though new applicants may still be required to demonstrate a financial and medical need for home health assistance. Like the Medicaid program, the non-Medicaid Home and Community Care Co-Pay program imposes a maximum income cap as well as charges an increasing share of cost for senior beneficiaries with greater ability to pay.