Home Health Workers Report Lag In Getting Paid

Some home-health workers say there's been a lag in getting paid under an Ohio plan to coordinate care for the state's sickest and most expensive residents. The workers provide services for Ohioans enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. The two programs operate fairly independently of each other, and the project seeks to streamline how health care is delivered to more than 100,000 so-called "dual eligible" individuals. Independent workers and home-health agencies previously submitted claims to the state government, sometimes through a billing agent. Now, claims go to five managed-care companies. The change has created a problem in getting paid quickly for some workers who live paycheck to paycheck. An Ohio Medicaid spokesman says the state and insurance companies are working to smooth out the transition.