Financial Options and Cost
Medicaid – ALTCS
ALTCS (pronounced ALTECS) is an acronym for the Arizona Long Term Care System. ALTCS is a branch of Arizona’s Medicaid Program that covers long term health care and living for qualifying individuals.
The application and approval process typically takes between 60 and 90 days. The following general process is how the ALTCS application process works:
- Applicant applies for ALTCS.
- Eligibility Review: medical and financial.
- Medical Requirements: The applicant is needing any hands-on care to perform daily common activities such as dressing, bathing, toileting, eating, or mobility.
- Financial Requirements: These requirements can be difficult to understand and do often require assistance in planning and preparation to protect assets. The applicant must also remain under a certain income limit.
- If the applicant is approved, a program contractor must be selected. A program contractor is an insurance company that is contracted by the State of Arizona to coordinate and provide the ALTCS services. There are 3 program contractors:
- Banner University Family Care
- United Healthcare Community Plan
- Mercy Care Plan
- The applicant moves into Heritage Lane and residency is paid for by the chosen program contractor.
ALTCS Cost
The process for determining cost under the ALTCS program is complicated and not something Heritage Lane has any influence over. It is the Arizona State Government that sets the financial criteria and requirements. The basics of this costing structure is explained below:
Resident Responsibility = Monthly Social Security (minus) approved deductions (minus) $110
$110 is kept for monthly miscellaneous spending and called “personal needs allowance”
The remainder of rent to Heritage Lane is then compensated by the program contractor (click to learn more) which is the insurance company contracted with the State of Arizona who manages the high-level care of the resident.
Private Pay
Many residents of Heritage Lane pay privately for residency. No special discounts or deals are created for private rates. One of the great benefits of Heritage Lane is an all-inclusive rate.
All-inclusive means there are no up-charges or scaling charges based on services provided. All private paying residents are charged the same amount for services. Care and behavioral services are rendered to everyone at any required level to maintain optimal health and life quality.
Most communities will charge for specific items or services and often do not retract these charges when there is no longer a need to provide the specific service. It is extremely difficult to manage this to a level of fairness for the person paying for services.
The fairest option is an all-inclusive rate with no hidden charges or fees. What you pay does not go up or down based on services provided and all services are disclosed up front so you know exactly what you are paying for.
Private Pay Cost
Please inquire directly with the community about the current all-inclusive monthly rate.
