Falling into the Medicaid gap: the hidden long-term care dilemma

This study describes the income, health, and functional capacity of older Florida residents who fall into the Medicaid gap--those whose incomes are too high to obtain eligibility for Medicaid yet too low to cover the cost of nursing home care as private pay patients--and examines the strategies adopted by their primary caregivers. Our findings suggest that few strategies succeed in alleviating this all but unresolvable problem, that those caught in the gap receive inadequate medical care, and that their primary caregivers face tremendous financial and emotional burdens with little hope for relief.