Estimated Number of Persons Eligible for Vision Rehabilitation Services Under Expanded Medicare. Research Report

Autor/inn/en	Cavenaugh, Brenda S.; Steinman, Bernard A.
Titel	Estimated Number of Persons Eligible for Vision Rehabilitation Services Under Expanded Medicare. Research Report
Quelle	In: Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 99 (2005) 7, S.431-436 (15 Seiten) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0145-482X
Schlagwörter	Vision; Independent Living; Visual Impairments; Rehabilitation; Health Insurance; Daily Living Skills; Mississippi + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Selbstverantwortung; Visual handicap; Sehbehinderung; Krankenversicherung; Alltagsfertigkeit
Abstract	It has been well documented by researchers that the incidence of visual impairment (both blindness and low vision) increases as people age (see, for example, Congdon et al., 2004; Crews, 1994; Lighthouse International, 2001; Rubin, 2000) and that these physical declines can adversely affect an individual's ability to perform activities that facilitate independent living (Alliance for Aging Research, 1999; Crews & Campbell, 2001, 2004; Higgins & Bailey, 2000; Tielsch, 2000). The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision at Mississippi State University recently conducted research on the estimated costs of providing national Medicare coverage for vision rehabilitation services. Medicare is a health insurance program for people aged 65 and older, some disabled people who are younger than age 65, and people with end-stage renal disease. When beneficiaries with disabilities reach age 65, they are included in the "aged" group. Medicare Part A covers the costs of inpatient hospital care, care in a skilled nursing facility, and some home health care. There is no monthly Part A premium for most beneficiaries. (A monthly premium is charged if the beneficiary or spouse does not have 40 or more quarters of Medicare covered employment.) Medicare Part B is an optional program that requires a separate monthly premium. It covers physicians' services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services, and durable medical equipment (CMS, 2004). Services that are provided by vision rehabilitation professionals would be covered under Medicare Part B. Approximately 93% of the total Medicare population are covered by both Part A and Part B (CMS, n.d.). The purpose of this article is to report the estimated number of Medicare beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision who have Part B coverage and, among them, the number who are likely to benefit from vision rehabilitation services. Method, results, and discussion and implications are discussed. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) Press, 11 Penn Plaza, Suite 300, New York, NY 10001. Tel: 800-232-3044 (Toll Free); e-mail: afborder@abdintl.com.
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10