The Medicaid “Personal Needs Allowance”: An Ongoing Shame
Medicaid was passed into law in 1965, back when Lyndon B. Johnson was President. At age 60, I am old enough to remember LBJ. Many of you who are reading this had not yet been born.
The cost of living was a lot less then than it is now. First-class stamps and candy bars both went for a nickel. You could fill up your tank with gas that cost $.30 a gallon. You could buy a full-sized new car for around $3,000. And w100 dollar billhen Congress and the President decided on how much a nursing home resident should be able to keep from his or her income toward meeting personal needs, they decided that $30 per month would be a fair allowance.
Fast forward to 2014. First-class stamps now cost $.49. Most convenience stores now charge a dollar