September 21, 2021
New Poll Finds Strong Public Support for Home Health
A recent poll, conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Partnership, found that a majority a respondents support greater patient choice and access to home health care. The findings also highlight the importance of passing the Choose Home Care Act of 2021, which has wide support among the public and bipartisan lawmakers.
The data show an overwhelming majority of adults back home health care:
- Roughly 87% of adults say it is important to expand care options for older Americans and 85 percent say there should be increased flexibility of at-home health care options.
- Over three quarters (78%) of adults indicated they would be interested in receiving follow-up short-term health care services in their home, including 41 percent over the age of 65 who said they were very interested.
- Nine in ten adults (90%) say it is important to them personally to have the ability to choose the setting in which they or a loved one recover post-hospitalization, with 62 percent of them saying it is very important.
Two-thirds (66%) of Medicare beneficiaries said they are not familiar with the Medicare benefit to receive short-term care in a nursing home or at home following hospitalization, underscoring the need to educate beneficiaries and their families about their post-acute care options. The Choose Home Care Act is an important step in expanding access to home care and ensuring patients understand their options post-hospitalization.
If enacted, the Choose Home Care Act—introduced by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Todd Young (R-IN) and endorsed by AARP—will increase access to care at home by enabling eligible Medicare patients to receive extended care services as an add-on to the existing Medicare Home Health benefit for 30 days post-discharge. This important policy change will strengthen and modernize the Medicare program by offering beneficiaries a safe, high-quality, and cost-effective post-acute care option in the home.