Dad suffered a stroke and is unable to swallow, may need long-term home care?

Thank you all for answering. I spoke with Medicare last night, but they said I need to call Social Security to see why dad does not have part A even tho he worked long enough. Dad was receiving PT, OT and speech and he was progressing and showing improvement. However, the LTC/rehab facility put him on a "therapy hold" and I only found out by going to PT and asking how he did on Monday. Administration did not even bother to tell me. Also looking at moving him to another facility.

cjbailey,

I am so sorry to hear about your father and your insurance woes. I would definitely make a point of speaking with a Medicare/Insurance expert as soon as possible, whether through Medicare, BCBS, or an Area Agency on Aging (AAA).

AAAs offer the State Health Insurance Program (SHIP), which provides free counseling on Medicare, Medicaid and other private plans. Your profile says you are located in Tampa. In Florida, the program is actually called SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders). Not only will they help you navigate your difficulties with coverage, but your AAA should also be able to help you and your father assess what options and help are available in terms of next steps for care.

You can find your local AAA here: https://www.agingcare.com/local/area-agency-on-aging

If your dad is coherent and able to speak, I wouldn't necessarily jump to thinking about hospice yet, but take comfort in the fact that end-of-life care is covered in some way by nearly all private insurance, Medicare and Medicaid. I would imagine that your father's Federal Employee BCBS would provide at least some level of coverage.

I hope this helps a little bit. Hang in there, cjbailey!

Adding...is he getting speech therapy? Seen a speech pathologist? You might want to find out with both levels of coverage if he can have that. Depending on the extent of his speech limitations, it could help him regain at least a modicum of swallowing ability.

There are other posts here on swallowing difficult, dysphagia diets, and offer some good suggestion. You can use the search box in the upper right hand corner. Here are some starters though:

https://www.agingcare.com/search.aspx?searchterm=swallowing+difficulties+post+stroke

We got both Medicare A & B together, several years ago for me. I don't have an answer for you but I would call Medicare directly - it's the fastest way to find out.

You could also browse this Medicare site before calling:
https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/get-parts-a-and-b/when-how-to-sign-up-for-part-a-and-part-b.html

I'm not familiar with Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employees as an apparent primary carrier, but wonder if you've checked with them to determine the extent of hospital coverage? In my experience BCBS is typically a secondary or Medigap carrier.

Thanks freqflyer. I am really lost. Went to see him today and now he is on a "therapy hold" until they straighten out his insurance. Each day he doesn't have therapy, is like three steps backward. What a mess.
I also neglected to say he got a peg feeding tube, vitals are good, cognitive and able to carry on a conversation--mostly about what he would like to eat!!

cjbailey, I am pushing this post back to the top to see if someone can help answer this.

Also, he is not eligible for VA benefits or Medicaid.