Displaced Ky. seniors moving to Ohio nursing homes

7/15/2013

COLUMBUS — A lack of available beds for senior citizens in nursing homes in northern Kentucky is increasingly forcing many to move into facilities in southwestern Ohio.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Ohio taxpayers are covering almost half the costs of many of the displaced Kentuckians.

The newspaper’s investigation shows Ohioans pay more than $6 million per year for Medicaid patients from the neighboring state who are living in nursing homes in southwest Ohio. Sixty percent of the cost is paid using federal dollars and the rest is picked up by the state.

The greater Cincinnati area has nearly 12,000 certified beds, according to the Ohio Department of Aging. Many assisted living facilities have recently opened in the area and are tapping the market in northern Kentucky.