North Dakota Long Term Care Association Issue Briefs 2003

Basic Care Fact Sheet

• North Dakota has 47 basic care facilities representing 1,496 beds.

• Basic care facilities are 87% occupied.  Each day approximately 1300 individuals receive basic care services.

• The average cost for one day in basic care is $50.85.

• The top two reasons a person will enter a basic care facility is the need for twenty-four hour supervision and medication administration.

• Basic care financial assistance is available to help people who need assistance to pay for their care.  Approximately 38% of recipients in basic care rely upon the state to help pay for their care.

• Basic care provides cost effective twenty-four hour care, providing room and board, transportation, social activities, medication and nursing supervision, companionship and a nurturing environment.

• The average age of a basic care resident is 85 years old.

Basic Care Assistance Program

The State provides financial assistance to individuals in need of basic care services but who are unable to pay for their care.  In order to receive assistance you must meet financial requirements and complete an assessment process that determines you need 24 hour care and support.  In September 2002, 477 individuals received basic care assistance. 

SB 2012 – Basic Care Funding

SB 2012 budgets $8.4 million for the Basic Care Assistance program.  Of this total, approximately $3 million is state funds.  The budget provides for 497 individuals to be serviced monthly.  Basic care providers are budgeted to receive an annual inflator of 1.2% and a 3% operating margin.

Basic Care Spousal Impoverishment

Currently North Dakota provides protection against impoverishment to spouses of recipients of Medicaid waiver home and community based care and nursing home care.  This can become an issue for a couple when one is healthy and one requires significant care and services.  Spousal Impoverishment protection allows the disabled spouse to receive care and assistance and not require the healthy spouse to “spend down” to poverty levels in order to qualify for assistance.  This provision allows the community spouse to receive asset and income protection and live in the manner they were accustomed to prior to their spouse needing care.  Couples, where one is in need of basic care services, have been negatively affected by this lack of spousal protection in basic care.  When faced with this issue a spouse will attempt to move their mate to the nursing home to access the greater resource and income limit.  This lack of spousal impoverishment protection in basic care can cause premature entry into the nursing facility.  In 2003, income and asset levels are $2,267 monthly and $90,660 respectively.  NDLTCA supports legislation to correct this inequitable situation.

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July 31, 2003 || www.ndltca.org/data/data05.html