26-04-2025
Cutting Medicaid could mean the end of living at home for some Tri-Cities older adults
For more than 50 years a Tri-Cities nonprofit has helped seniors relying on Medicaid stay in their homes longer.
The looming threat of cuts to federal funding could mean hundreds of their clients may lose access to services that ensure they have a better quality of life at home.
When a Mid-Columbia Meals on Wheels volunteer notices a senior needs a little more help, their partner program Senior Life Resources can step in to help with everything that medical care doesn't — from running errands to housework, meal preparation and bathing or just spending a little time with someone.
Senior Life Resources helps more than 1,400 daily in the Tri-Cities, allowing them to continue living independently. Executive Director Brandy Hickey said their home care services are 95% paid for by Medicaid.
That funding helped support a group of 800 dedicated home care providers who spent almost 1 million hours with Tri-Cities seniors last year.
They've been serving seniors across Southeast Washington since 1974.
Now the organization is encouraging Tri-Citians to remind lawmakers how important their services are before crucial funding votes later this year.
At-home care is much less expensive than an assisted living facility, and also leads to better health outcomes, say healthcare officials.
Cherie Nobel is Senior Life Resources's director of Home Care Services. She said if Medicaid funding is cut, it will impact all Tri-Citians.
'Clients receiving home care generally have fewer trips to the hospital or doctor's office. Our hospital waiting rooms already have long wait times,' Nobel said.
'If our clients aren't getting essential care like a nutritious meal, medication reminders or to help prevent falls and other things people go to the hospital for, I can see those wait times getting longer and impacting overall health care costs for everyone in southeastern Washington.'
While no one knows what a potential funding cut would look like, hospital administrators across the state are organizing to sound the alarm.
Experts say there is simply no way to achieve the proposed savings to the budgets that oversee Medicare and Medicaid without seriously impacting the programs.
A New York Times analysis found that the proposed $880 billion cut to the Energy and Commerce Committee, which directs Medicare and Medicaid funding, could slash everything not related to healthcare and would still be $600 billion short.
The cuts could potentially impact both at-home healthcare and services like Senior Life Resources.
Industry officials say that's especially concerning for assisted living facilities because their ability to serve Medicaid patients already has been diminished by rising healthcare costs.
Regency Canyon Lakes Skilled Nursing Facility in Kennewick used to fill half its beds with Medicaid patients, even though Medicaid covers only 85% of costs.
But with the increased costs of staffing the center, it had to cut that to a quarter of its space, Parker Rieckelman, administrator of Regency Canyon Lakes recently told the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board.
While the majority of Senior Life Resources is funded through Medicaid, the Meals on Wheels program is more community driven.
It receives about half of its support through the Older Americans Act and the rest comes from the Tri-Cities community.
Some of that state and federal funding also could be in danger.
USAging said the recent Department of Health and Human Services reorganization eliminated the agency that oversees the Older Americans Act funding. It's unclear how those allocations will be handled.
The donor-led funding for that program has ensured it remains more resilient than many of its Meals on Wheels counterparts that are already seeing cuts.
Hickey said that strong community support will be key for both programs as they navigate this new funding landscape.
'Our commitment to delivering exceptional, compassionate service continues without interruption,' she said.
'Both our Home Care and Meals on Wheels programs operate with the same reliability and heart that our clients and their families count on every day. We've built strong foundations and flexible systems that help us navigate challenges and maintain high-quality services.'
Volunteer Josie Beach has seen the impact these services have on the lives of their clients.
She began volunteering by sharing a Meals on Wheels delivery route with her husband Wright in 2019. Eventually they shifted to working at the kitchen and helping out with other projects.
When she was delivering meals to one senior, she noticed bandages on the woman's arm that looked like they needed to be cleaned. So she asked if she could connect her to the Senior Life Resources program. The next time she came by, the bandages had been cleaned and she learned the program also helped her with tasks around the house.
Recently Beach and her husband have been reviving the garden outside of the Meals on Wheels Cafe where they both volunteer.
From the garden to meal preparation and on to the cafe or a meal delivery, her efforts touch every aspect of clients' lives.
'It's rewarding to me. I think I get more out of being a volunteer than they do in some ways. Just because you know you're making a difference,' she said. 'It may just be one person, but if everybody does a little bit it adds up to a lot.'
Beach said while she worries how big of an impact any cuts to funding could have, she knows the team at Senior Life Resources will still be fighting for their clients and finding a way to continue services.
'They're going to keep trying to support as many seniors as they can, regardless of the funding,' she said.
Hickey said their commitment to providing meals and quality cares to seniors remains unwavering
'Despite the uncertainty, Senior Life Resources remains steady. Both our Home Care and Meals on Wheels programs continue operating with the same compassion, care, and consistency that our clients and families have depended on for over 50 years,' she said.
'We are not waiting, we are working. We are not fearful, we are focused. And with the help from our community, we will continue to stand strong together.'
Though the organization is facing a great deal of uncertainty, Hickey said there are many ways Tri-Citians can help.
How You Can Help Seniors
Speak Up - Contact your elected officials, especially Representative Dan Newhouse, and ask them to protect funding for the Older Americans Act and Medicaid/Apple Health. Sign the petition from Central WA Families to preserve Medicaid.
Give Local - Your donations stay right here in our community, supporting real people with real needs.
Volunteer - Whether delivering meals or offering support, your time makes a difference. Just a few hours can change someone's day.
Stay Connected - Follow Senior Life Resources and Mid Columbia Meals on Wheels on social media, sign up for their newsletter, and help spread the word. 'The more voices we have, the stronger our advocacy becomes.'
