Day care patients caught between state savings, need for care

While state officials view annual case reviews for adult medical day-care patients as good government oversight, day care operators and industry activists warned that saving now could cost the state in the long run.

In October 2005, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene started annually reviewing day care recipients to confirm eligibility for the Medicaid benefit. Since then, 303 day care patients have been denied the benefit. Of the 146 who have appealed, none has had the benefit reinstated, according to the state health department.