Medicare cuts and House health bill puts Senior Home Care in jeopardy.

Seniors & Boomers in Richmond VA… YOU SHOULD KNOW!  August 21st report on Business Wire states:

 ”A new American Health Care Association analysis of the pending House health reform bill, combined with the impact of a recently-enacted Medicare regulation cutting Medicare-funded nursing home care by $12 billion over ten years, finds seniors in Virginia requiring nursing and rehabilitative care facing total funding cuts of $1 billion over that same time period.

“This is equivalent to cutting reimbursement by $29.48 per day per Medicare patient in Virginia. Nationally, the study finds, seniors’ Medicare cuts will total $44 billion over ten years, prompting Virginia’s long term care community to warn that Virginia seniors’ care needs are endangered by the House bill, as are the jobs of more than 1,174 caregivers in Virginia alone.”

We feel the underlying theme of this analysis is that if the Administration is not vigilant, they will provide some sort of “more encompassing” health care solution at the expense of the elderly and disabled.  This issue has been talked about in the media, and somewhat exaggerated by conservatives who oppose a government program but, nevertheless, it is still a very real issue!  Other than saying, “that’s ridiculous” and “this is misinformation,” the Administration has simply not yet addressed the question of how to account for our aging population and their health care needs, now or in the future.

We at Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond are concerned because, as Medicare continues to be cut, there is going to be an even greater need for caregiving services for the elderly as more and more seniors try to stay in their homes longer and need additional care.  Even those who are in or will be in assisted-living or nursing homes will need additional care to remain as independent as possible.  Unfortunately, not everyone can afford it which is where these state funded programs come into play. 

And then there’s the issue of not having enough staff to provide all the services needed, as a direct result of funding being cut to providers, as Steve Morrisette states in the article:

“Virginia seniors’ Medicare-funded nursing care will be substantially hurt by the pending health reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, and such drastic cuts to nursing home care are an unfair burden to place on our most vulnerable seniors who rely on Medicare for their nursing home care,” said Steve Morrisette, President of Virginia Health Care Association. “When Medicare cuts provider reimbursement, providers, in turn, are forced to cut staff because labor expenses comprise 70 percent of facility costs. Cutting staff within a facility has a direct, immediate, negative impact on patients and their care – and that is what the House bill will do.”

We encourage all of our customers, fellow providers and concerned citizens to take up your concerns with your lawmakers to help ensure we have health reform that will protect our elderly and well as disabled so that they are able to get the homecare services they need.

If you have any questions about this issue as far as how it relates to your homecare and home health care services in the Greater Richmond or Northern Neck areas, or need assistance as a caregiver with your elderly parent or loved one, please contact Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond at 804.527.1100.

P.S.  The recent analysis of the House health reform bill was conducted by The Virginia Health Care Association (VHCA), based in Richmond, Virginia, and is a membership organization of nearly 300 licensed nursing and assisted living facilities. Virginia Health Care Association’s mission is to promote the delivery of quality extended health care services through leadership, information, education, collective action and collaborative efforts with other providers and citizen groups so that quality health care services along a continuum of care are available to all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. For more information about the Virginia Health Care Association, visit www.vhca.org.

All 50 State Cut Data Available at www.ahca.org.