As a result of ongoing media efforts relative to chronic Medicaid underfunding of nursing home care, the current economic crisis facing states, and the skilled nursing facility Medicare cuts that went into effect on October 1 due to the implementation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “forecast error,” the Associated Press (AP) ran a story on October 5 chronicling this issue. On October 13th, CNN and Lou Dobb’s Tonight also produced a segment, during which a reporter went on-site at the West Hartford Health and Rehab Center in West Hartford, CT, to film the care provided in a typical skilled nursing facility and interview the administrator.
American Health Care Association President and CEO Bruce Yarwood was also interviewed, noting that Medicaid has chronically underfunded the care of nursing home care and the disparity between the cost to provide care and reimbursement levels continues to increase over time. In 2008, the national average hourly Medicaid reimbursement for nursing home care was only $6.70 and hour. Yarwood went on to say that most every state is facing a budgetary crisis as they grapple with the reality that demand and need for Medicaid financed care is up, while funding levels for the program are limited or are in jeopardy.
On October 1, an administrative cut in Medicare funding for skilled nursing care went into effect – eliminating an estimated $1.05 billion in FY 2010 alone, or as much as $16 billion over the next ten years. The Medicare cuts, coupled with Medicaid underfunding and state budget crisis, will result in job losses and will jeopardize the recent quality improvements seen in our nation’s skilled nursing facilities.
Long term care facilities are facing even more funding uncertainty, as temporary increases in Medicaid funding that came from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus package will expire on December 31, 2010. All of these funding cuts and underfunding come at a time when the long term care sector must be preparing to face an upswell of individuals requiring both short-stay rehabilitative care and long stay 24-hour nursing care and support.
Please help Save Our Seniors. Contact your Members of Congress by phone or e-mail and urge them to oppose the nursing home funding cuts contained in health care reform.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Ask Congress to Stop Proposals that Further Cut Nursing Home Care
FHCA joins the American Health Care Association in its support of health care reform. Yet, proposals in Congress would cut Medicare funding for residents in nursing homes nationwide by more than $32 billion. These cuts add to $12 billion in cuts imposed when the Administration finalized a rule affecting nursing home care on July 31, 2009. Together, cuts of this magnitude are simply unsustainable.
Since labor represents 70% of nursing home operating costs, we worry that such deep cuts would affect jobs - forcing layoffs, lowering salaries, or reducing benefits - and ultimately, hurting residents' quality of care. Congress must stop proposals that further cut nursing home care and reconsider how the existing $12 bllion in cuts, combinded with the state Medicaid funding shortfall that will occur when federal stimulus dollars run out, will negatively impact seniors' care.
FHCA, together with the American Health Care Association, are calling on Congress to ensure that total funding for nursing home care remains adequate to preserve quality care for America's seniors and protects caregiver jobs. Please join us in this advocacy campaign by clicking on this link for resource materials you can use to better educate Congress about these cuts as we campaign to Save our Seniors today.
How You Can Help:
Since labor represents 70% of nursing home operating costs, we worry that such deep cuts would affect jobs - forcing layoffs, lowering salaries, or reducing benefits - and ultimately, hurting residents' quality of care. Congress must stop proposals that further cut nursing home care and reconsider how the existing $12 bllion in cuts, combinded with the state Medicaid funding shortfall that will occur when federal stimulus dollars run out, will negatively impact seniors' care.
FHCA, together with the American Health Care Association, are calling on Congress to ensure that total funding for nursing home care remains adequate to preserve quality care for America's seniors and protects caregiver jobs. Please join us in this advocacy campaign by clicking on this link for resource materials you can use to better educate Congress about these cuts as we campaign to Save our Seniors today.
How You Can Help:
- Call or e-mail your U.S. Senator and Representative today!
- Attend a Town Hall Meeting or set up a meeting in your local district with your U.S. Senator, Representative or a member of their staff.
- Invite your U.S. Senator or Representative into your facility.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Massive Federal Medicare Cuts Will Hurt Nursing Home Residents, Cost Jobs
The Executive Director of the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) warned that new federal Medicare cuts of up to $16 billion resulting from Friday’s announcement by the Obama Administration that it has put into effect a new Medicare regulation will significantly endanger Florida nursing home residents’ care and jeopardize the state’s already fragile economy and caregiver jobs base.
“We intend to make certain the interests of nursing home residents remain a priority for lawmakers as they pursue health care reform in Washington, and will make sure they understand that the Medicare funding cuts on top of the looming Medicaid funding crisis plaguing Florida’s seniors and providers after stimulus dollars are expended is unsustainable,” Emmett Reed, Executive Director of FHCA said.
In the year 2010 alone, Florida’s Medicare cuts amount to $78.4 million – the 2nd highest level of cuts in the nation. The estimated economic impact on Florida in the year ahead, according to an analysis from the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, will be a reduction of $132.2 million in business activity, a reduction of $65.9 million in labor income, and a loss of 1,960 jobs.
Continued Reed: “Having now just suffered a massive Medicare funding cut of up to $16 billion – distinct and separate from the reductions our sector has willingly and cooperatively agreed to shoulder as part of achieving broader reform – we are alarmed the sheer size of the cumulative cuts we ultimately suffer will be especially damaging to seniors in states like Florida, where our Medicaid program is already underfunded*. Medicare and Medicaid funding are inextricably linked, and the combination of cuts to both programs squeezes our local facilities in a manner harmful to Medicare beneficiaries’ care needs, detrimental to our state’s local economy, and injurious to our caregiver jobs base.”
Reed noted that Florida nursing homes are seeing an increasingly diverse patient base, and providing a greater variety of acute care, rehabilitative and convalescent services that cannot be delivered elsewhere – care services which are now in jeopardy due to the sheer size and scope of the Medicare funding cuts. These massive funding cuts, Reed said, will undermine facilities’ ability to effectively treat this more medically complex patient population, and also put the jobs of the direct care workforce they depend upon in substantial danger.
“Achieving a sweeping health care reform bill we can all be proud of, and which will improve the health of every Florida resident is a necessity, not an option,” Reed continued. Yet, protecting vulnerable seniors in the process must always remain a key priority from which we must not deviate.”
During the upcoming August recess, Reed said, the long-term care community will ask federal lawmakers to keep the interests of nursing home residents and those who care for them foremost in their minds. “We intend to explain in a tangible, informative manner why it is essential for Congress, upon its return to Washington in September, to recalibrate its thinking on health care reform and scale back these enormous Medicare cuts.”
*An Eljay, LLC analysis of the nation’s Medicaid program released in October by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) projects that Medicaid underfunded the actual cost of providing quality long term care in 2008 by $188.5 million annually in Florida, and that Florida seniors rank 10th in terms of cumulative underfunding of nursing facility care.
“We intend to make certain the interests of nursing home residents remain a priority for lawmakers as they pursue health care reform in Washington, and will make sure they understand that the Medicare funding cuts on top of the looming Medicaid funding crisis plaguing Florida’s seniors and providers after stimulus dollars are expended is unsustainable,” Emmett Reed, Executive Director of FHCA said.
In the year 2010 alone, Florida’s Medicare cuts amount to $78.4 million – the 2nd highest level of cuts in the nation. The estimated economic impact on Florida in the year ahead, according to an analysis from the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, will be a reduction of $132.2 million in business activity, a reduction of $65.9 million in labor income, and a loss of 1,960 jobs.
Continued Reed: “Having now just suffered a massive Medicare funding cut of up to $16 billion – distinct and separate from the reductions our sector has willingly and cooperatively agreed to shoulder as part of achieving broader reform – we are alarmed the sheer size of the cumulative cuts we ultimately suffer will be especially damaging to seniors in states like Florida, where our Medicaid program is already underfunded*. Medicare and Medicaid funding are inextricably linked, and the combination of cuts to both programs squeezes our local facilities in a manner harmful to Medicare beneficiaries’ care needs, detrimental to our state’s local economy, and injurious to our caregiver jobs base.”
Reed noted that Florida nursing homes are seeing an increasingly diverse patient base, and providing a greater variety of acute care, rehabilitative and convalescent services that cannot be delivered elsewhere – care services which are now in jeopardy due to the sheer size and scope of the Medicare funding cuts. These massive funding cuts, Reed said, will undermine facilities’ ability to effectively treat this more medically complex patient population, and also put the jobs of the direct care workforce they depend upon in substantial danger.
“Achieving a sweeping health care reform bill we can all be proud of, and which will improve the health of every Florida resident is a necessity, not an option,” Reed continued. Yet, protecting vulnerable seniors in the process must always remain a key priority from which we must not deviate.”
During the upcoming August recess, Reed said, the long-term care community will ask federal lawmakers to keep the interests of nursing home residents and those who care for them foremost in their minds. “We intend to explain in a tangible, informative manner why it is essential for Congress, upon its return to Washington in September, to recalibrate its thinking on health care reform and scale back these enormous Medicare cuts.”
*An Eljay, LLC analysis of the nation’s Medicaid program released in October by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) projects that Medicaid underfunded the actual cost of providing quality long term care in 2008 by $188.5 million annually in Florida, and that Florida seniors rank 10th in terms of cumulative underfunding of nursing facility care.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Health Care Reform Bill to Slash at Least $44 Billion in SNF Medicare Payments
This week, FHCA Executive Director Emmett Reed traveled to Washington, DC, to meet with American Health Care Association lobbyists and several of Florida Congressmen and their staff. Health care reform is moving swiftly in Washington and unfortunately, the legislation as it is currently drafted, is extremely harmful to long term care providers and the residents you serve. Yesterday, HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, was introduced in the US House of Representatives. The bill contains detrimental cuts to Medicare payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities which amount to at least $44.9 billion in cuts for Medicare Payments to SNFs alone. This staggering number doesn't account for the $16 billion in regulatory cuts being proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) by August 1st. This bill is on a fast track for passage in the House of Representatives.
The moment to take action is NOW. FHCA is joining the American Health Care Association in asking you to you weigh in with your U.S. Representative and let him/her know that cuts of this magnitude are simply unsustainable. Tell your Representative that cuts to Medicare will have a negative impact on nursing homes and will create a ripple effect - putting at risk the quality of care to our state's frail elders and people with disabilities and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs for long term care providers across the country.
We must put a stop to these egregious cuts before it's too late. Congress has made health care reform a priority this year and intends to pass a bill as early as August. Your voice needs to be heard on this vital issue. Click here to take action today by sending a letter to your U.S. House Representative and telling them to OPPOSE Medicare payment cuts to SNFs contained within HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.
The moment to take action is NOW. FHCA is joining the American Health Care Association in asking you to you weigh in with your U.S. Representative and let him/her know that cuts of this magnitude are simply unsustainable. Tell your Representative that cuts to Medicare will have a negative impact on nursing homes and will create a ripple effect - putting at risk the quality of care to our state's frail elders and people with disabilities and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs for long term care providers across the country.
We must put a stop to these egregious cuts before it's too late. Congress has made health care reform a priority this year and intends to pass a bill as early as August. Your voice needs to be heard on this vital issue. Click here to take action today by sending a letter to your U.S. House Representative and telling them to OPPOSE Medicare payment cuts to SNFs contained within HR 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Meeting Legislative Candidates
It's hard to believe that legislative candidates for the 2010 fall election are already out in the community meeting voters and raising money for campaigns. But regardless of what you might say about how early it seems, FHCA has been right in the thick of it, educating some of these early birds on our important long term care issues.
On Wednesday, June 24, Senator Jack Latvala, who is running for Senate District 16 (he previously represented a nearby area) visited Palm Garden of Clearwater and Administrator Roy Meredith and his staff provided a tour followed by sandwiches and sweets. Great job!
That evening we headed to Bradenton to the home of Senator Mike Bennett (R-21), where we joined FHCA Executive Director Emmett Reed and FHCA Vice President Nina Willingham at a fundraiser for Greg Steube (R), candidate for House District 67. Warm breezes off the Gulf and good food and drink enabled everyone to relax and meet the candidate, who is an Iraq war veteran and the son of the local sheriff. We look forward to having Greg visit some local nursing homes in the near future.
We encourage our FHCA members to invite their local legislators and 2010 candidates into your building to help educate them about the valuable work you do in caring for Florida's nursing home residents. First-hand visits are a great way to help them learn more about our long term care issues and help your residents and staff meet the lawmakers who impact their lives. You can visit the Members Only Legislative Section on the FHCA Web site for tips on how to conduct a successful legislative visit, and be sure to e-mail me an update and photos so we can share it with the rest of the membership.
On Wednesday, June 24, Senator Jack Latvala, who is running for Senate District 16 (he previously represented a nearby area) visited Palm Garden of Clearwater and Administrator Roy Meredith and his staff provided a tour followed by sandwiches and sweets. Great job!
That evening we headed to Bradenton to the home of Senator Mike Bennett (R-21), where we joined FHCA Executive Director Emmett Reed and FHCA Vice President Nina Willingham at a fundraiser for Greg Steube (R), candidate for House District 67. Warm breezes off the Gulf and good food and drink enabled everyone to relax and meet the candidate, who is an Iraq war veteran and the son of the local sheriff. We look forward to having Greg visit some local nursing homes in the near future.
We encourage our FHCA members to invite their local legislators and 2010 candidates into your building to help educate them about the valuable work you do in caring for Florida's nursing home residents. First-hand visits are a great way to help them learn more about our long term care issues and help your residents and staff meet the lawmakers who impact their lives. You can visit the Members Only Legislative Section on the FHCA Web site for tips on how to conduct a successful legislative visit, and be sure to e-mail me an update and photos so we can share it with the rest of the membership.
FHCA Testifies Before US Aging Committee, Urges Importance of Coordination Between Policymakers & Long Term Care Providers In Planning for Disasters
On Wednesday, the Florida Health Care Association’s (FHCA) Senior Vice President of Policy and lead emergency preparedness representative, LuMarie Polivka-West, testified before Congress, focusing on the importance of a coordinated effort between long term care facilities and the government in all aspects of disaster planning and preparedness [to view the complete testimony, click here].“The Florida Health Care Association has been taking the lead in Florida in ensuring that our state’s frail elders and citizens with disabilities residing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities are able to retain access to the long term care and services essential to their health and well being during a disaster,” stated J. Emmett Reed, FHCA Executive Director. “We encourage Congress to take swift action to ensure that all care providers – regardless of tax status – can access federal assistance for disaster relief efforts.”
In her testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Polivka- West discussed complications that occurred during the 2005 hurricane season, stating, “As decisions were being made regarding evacuations, many nursing home administrators did not have the same knowledge or guidance about when and if they should evacuate as hospitals did. Following several hurricanes during that season, utility services did not understand the special needs of the frail elderly and those with disabilities in nursing homes and assisted living communities, leaving them without electricity and telephone services.”
As the Senior Vice President with the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) and Principal Investigator of the John A. Hartford Foundation Emergency Preparedness grant, Polivka-West discussed the steps that need to be taken by our nation’s long term care facilities and policymakers to develop appropriate disaster planning. These steps include creating a disaster planning guide and software that facilities can refer to, including disaster preparation training exercises in nursing home staff program, and assembling annual hurricane summits.
Polivka-West addressed the importance of keeping facilities informed and supplying them with the tools to be prepared in any given emergency situation. She stressed that forming a constructive dialogue with legislation is crucial to creating a well-executed disaster plan. “Due to the very vulnerable and complex population that we serve it is essential that we work together with policy makers to better prepare ourselves for any disaster,” stated Ms. Polivka-West.
“The road ahead is no doubt challenging,” concluded Polivka-West. “But the important task before us is to objectively examine how local, state, and federal governments – working with transportation, the health care spectrum and business groups – can better prepare for and coordinate disaster recovery efforts for our most vulnerable citizens nationwide.”
FHCA partners with its national affiliate, the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), to make available emergency preparedness resources and information to other long term care facilities across the country. Polivka-West serves as a member of the AHCA/NCAL Disaster Preparedness Committee. FHCA has worked in concert with AHCA/NCAL in coordinating a number of national summits, including the most recent one in December 2008 which brought together state and federal partners in long term care, transportation and emergency management to examine the availability of and access to transportation resources for long term care providers during emergency situations.
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