Senior Living Q&A: Will Obamacare Affect Assisted Living?

Dear AssistedLiving.Com: I work part time at a large retailer and just learned that under Obamacare I will be able to afford health insurance for the first time. My mother works at assisted living and I am wondering how Obamacare affects assisted living residents and if my mother’s long-term care costs will change?

Debbi

Hi Debbi,

The Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, will not really affect the world of long-term care whatsoever. Assisted living care is formally considered non-medical, so it would not fall under the umbrella of health insurance and is not affected by Obamacare.

While this would not have affected your mother, the the Affordable Care Act originally included plans for a government run long-term care insurance insurance program called “Class Act”, but the program was cancelled because “the numbers could not be made to work”.

That’s not to say that Obamacare does not affect seniors whatsoever. For example, Obamacare eliminates the Medicare “doughnut hole” that has been a financial thorn in senior’s sides for quite a while. For more information, the AARP website has an excellent interactive tool on their website that can show you how the new health care law will affect you and your family.