Determining personal care consumers' preferences for a consumer-directed cash and counseling option: survey results from Arkansas, Florida, New Jersey, and New York elders and adults with physical disabilities.
OBJECTIVE
To assess Medicaid consumers' interest in a consumer-directed cash option for personal care and other services, in lieu of agency-delivered services.


METHODS
Telephone survey data were collected from four states from April to November 1997. Postsurvey focus groups were conducted in four states in 1998. Early implementation experiences are drawn from three states from 1999 to 2002.


METHODS
Participants (N=2,140) were selected for a structured telephone survey interview from a probability-sampling frame of current Medicaid consumers in Arkansas, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Key variables include interest in the cash option, demographic and background characteristics of consumers, as well as previous experience and training needed. Postsurvey focus groups were also conducted with current Medicaid consumers.


METHODS
Interviewers read the telephone survey from computer screens and entered responses directly into the database of the Macintosh Computer Assisted Telephone Interview software. Data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0 (http://www.spss.com) for Windows.


RESULTS
Cash option interest was positively associated with experience hiring and supervising workers, more severe levels of disability, having a live-in caregiver, living in Florida, and minority status. Age of the client was also a significant factor.


CONCLUSIONS
There is significant interest in the cash option, although interest varies among subgroups of consumers. Future research should continue to evaluate interest in the cash option among different groups of consumers, as well as actual experience with the option when the Cash and Counseling Demonstration and Evaluation (CCDE) evaluation findings are completed.
Mahoney
Kevin J
KJ
Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
Simon-Rusinowitz
Lori
L
Loughlin
Dawn M
DM
Desmond
Sharon M
SM
Squillace
Marie R
MR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001131:Arkansas; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005382:Financing, Personal; D005431:Florida; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009515:New Jersey; D009518:New York; D010548:Personal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D040841:Resource Allocation