Rising Gas Prices Stall Home Health Caregivers
This week a national survey reported that gas prices surged nearly 7 cents over the past two weeks to reach an all-time inflation-adjusted high of $3.26 per gallon of self-serve regular. The Lundberg Survey found that average prices in Newark, New Jersey, were the nation’s lowest at $3.03 per gallon, while drivers in San Francisco, California, where the average price was $3.66, paid the most. While we are all a little more conservative in our gas consumption these days, home health caregivers don’t always have that option. This week’s Healthcare Business Weekly Update reports on a request from the Pennsylvania Homecare Association to increase Medicaid reimbursement to $100 per home visit for skilled services. The organization says it spent an additional $6.7 million in 2007 to help cover rising gas costs.