The Home Health Independence Demonstration is a new project being
conducted in COLORADO, MASSACHUSETTS and MISSOURI by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) under a mandate created by
Section 702 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and
Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA).

It allows severely disabled Medicare beneficiaries who receive
Medicare home health benefits in those three to leave their homes as
frequently as they wish without risking the loss of those benefits.

To qualify for the demonstration project, Medicare beneficiaries must
be enrolled in Medicare Part B and must meet all current home health
eligibility requirements (other than those related to absences from
the home. You can find information about those criteria and about the
services covered by the Medicare home health benefit at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/quality/hhqi/HHBenefits.pdf)

In addition, according to the legislation, to be eligible for the demonstration, beneficiaries:

* must have a permanent, severe disability that is not expected to improve;
* must have a permanent need for skilled nursing care beyond medication management;
* must need help with at least three of five activities of daily living (ADLS) (eating, toileting, transferring, bathing, dressing);
* must require daily care from an attendant or caregiver to monitor or treat their medical condition OR to provide ADL assistance; (this caregiver can be a spouse, family member, friend, or other informal caregiver)
* they must require human or technological assistance to leave the home; and
* they must NOT be working outside the home.

The demonstration began operations October 4, 2004 and will run until
October 3, 2006.

The services that beneficiaries can receive under the demonstration
are those currently provided under the Medicare home health benefit.
The DIFFERENCE is that beneficiaries who are enrolled in the
demonstration may leave home more often and for longer periods than
would have been allowed under "regular" Medicare rules for home
health eligibility.

To find out more about the Home Health Independence Demonstration,
you can:
* ask your physician or home health agency;
* visit the demonstration web site at:
http://www.cms.gov/researchers/demos/homehealthindependence.asp
* send email to: HomeHealthIndependence@abtassoc.com
* or telephone: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and ask about the Home
Health Independence Demonstration