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Home Care and the State of New Jersey
In New
Jersey, a Home Health Care Agency is regulated by The Board
of Nursing, Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of
Banking and Insurance, Department of Labor, Workforce
Development, and the Department of Health and Senior
Services within the State of New Jersey's complex
government. Simply put, the bigger the state's bureaucracy,
the more it costs you. We have carefully studied the laws
and the real life politics behind the current regulatory
bodies, and have determined that we cannot count on the
fragmented government to enforce all their own laws equally
and responsibly without prejudice to our government’s self
interests. As a result, the home health care industry has
become like the Wild West because the cost of doing business
in New Jersey has become too high for people to be able to
afford. Many good agencies have been forced to shut down
due to the high cost of defending themselves against
“bullying” by the government, politics, and organized
crime. Due to the economy and New Jersey’s current budget
deficit, there has been a tremendous increase in insurance
rates and government tax audits.
Consequently, the demand for low cost home care has caused
an increase in the number of unlicensed operations that are
unsafe to the public. Although the state of New Jersey can
be clearly blamed for its
suspiciously deliberate
mismanagement of its own regulations, we also
know that this does not solve anything for you today. We
simply believe that the public deserves better. Although
ICONNEL maintains a home health care service firm license,
we no longer offer this service due to our belief that this
service cannot be offered to our private paying clients at a
reasonable cost. We hope to be able to offer the service in
the near future when the state regulations are more focused,
clear, and move towards a friendlier business environment.
We
operate in full compliance, but we currently do NOT offer
home health care service due to its high cost and low value
to you. We currently provide non-certified candidates
(companions and housekeepers) who have the capability to
provide care and assistance, but are not allowed to
according to NJ State regulations. Silly but true.
About Your Long Term Care Insurance Policy
There are
only very specific cases in which we may be able to accept
working with your long term care insurance provider.
However, in ALL cases, all administration for claims is done
by you, not us. We do not work directly with your carrier
in any way. Coverage of your long term care insurance
policy with our agency services is dependent on what kind of
policy you have. Many insurance companies require that you
have a certified home health aide with a valid license be
provided to you by a licensed home healthcare agency. If
this is all that is required
and you are reimbursed
directly under the policy (versus the home health
care agency), then we may be able to help you. However, you
may still incur out of pocket expenses depending on the
details of your policy. |
