Back in March, I shared with you my visit to the U.S Capitol and my conversations with the staff of legislators regarding several issues affecting life plan communities, like the Campus, and the residents we serve. In that article, I also committed to reach out to you should I need your help with additional advocacy efforts. That time has arrived!
The Senate is scheduled to vote this month on health care reform that could end Medicaid as we know it by converting it to a per capita cap or block grant. Proposals under consideration would cut Medicaid, by hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade. Under this proposal, every state would lose federal funding, forcing states to cut back on services for seniors and people with disabilities covered by Medicaid as well as reimbursement to providers like Beatitudes Campus. Such changes would hurt people and families who need long-term services and supports.
Medicaid has become the default payer for many needing skilled nursing and assisted living services because there are no significant alternative sources of payment other than out-of-pocket. People in need of these services are often the oldest and frailest Americans, many with complex health conditions. There are few options and very few can pay for these services on their own. Medicaid is essential to enabling older Americans to live out their later years with dignity and support.
LeadingAge, our national association of not for profit providers, and its members like the campus, strongly oppose these changes to Medicaid. I hope you will join us in urging Congress to protect Medicaid and ensure that older adults have access to the essential long-term services and supports they need.
Here are a few more statistics on Medicaid:
- The major “insurance” plan for nursing home care and other long-term services and supports, by default, is Medicaid. Medicare covers relatively little of this kind of care and few seniors have private, long-term care insurance, which covers less than 5 percent of the cost of current services.
- Two-thirds of Medicaid spending goes toward coverage of health care and long-term services and supports (LTSS) for people aged 65 and over.
- Providers who serve clients on Medicaid rely on the funding to meet the costs of recruiting, training and retaining qualified staff, as well as other essential operations that ensure high-quality, clinical care and quality of life for those we serve.
- At the Campus, 42% of residents living in the Health Care Center and 36% of residents in assisted living and early memory support rely on Medicaid to cover their living arrangements here.
It is critical that Senators Flake and McCain hear from all of us! I ask that you share the information above and encourage them to oppose changing Medicaid to block grants or per capita caps when our senior population across the nation is rapidly growing. It is the wrong policy at the wrong time.
They can be reached at:
- Senator Jeff Flake's D.C. office number: (202)-224-4521
- Senator John McCain's D.C. office number (202) 224-2235
Get involved!
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