Meaningful health care reform, not Medicare Cuts : Arlene Miles
By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-09-28 10:49:15 | Word Count: 573
In representing over 90% of the nursing facilities across the State of Colorado, we see first-hand the challenges faced by patients and caregivers in our nation's health care delivery system - a key component of which is long term care. Our caregivers, who provide for some of our country's most frail elderly and disabled, need meaningful healthcare reform. We must continue to improve patient care, raise the bar on greater efficiencies and stem rising health care costs - but not at the expense of our nation's nursing home residents and those who provide their care.
The current administration recently imposed cuts of at least $12 billion to nursing home care for seniors and people with disabilities. Now the House health care reform bill proposes additional Medicare cuts of $32 billion to skilled nursing care. Reform is necessary, but we do not believe that Congress fully understands the severe impact these combined cuts will have on the quality of skilled nursing care as well as much-needed healthcare jobs in the community.
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If the deep additional cuts proposed by Congress are approved, skilled nursing facilities across Colorado may be forced to cut much needed services, negatively impacting the quality of care long term care providers can offer. Patient care and quality of life is directly related to sufficient staffing levels and a trained quality workforce. While we support efforts to make certain that 47 million uninsured Americans can access the care they need, we want to ensure that the care we provide continues to be the quality of care that every American should expect.
At most long term care communities, 80 percent of the patients and residents cared for rely on Medicare and Medicaid to pay for their care and services. Cuts to Medicare are magnified by the fact that the Medicare funding helps to balance out Medicaid's chronic underfunding of skilled nursing care - a growing problem in the current fiscal environment as Colorado pursues Medicaid cuts. These cuts are an unfair burden to place on our most vulnerable citizens who rely upon Medicare for their nursing home care. In Colorado alone, cuts will amount to $421 million less in funding for nursing home care over the next ten years.
Health care reform must not compromise the quality of care of patients by removing resources from an already overstretched system. We have the opportunity to ensure adoption of fair public policy that will maintain quality care for our nation's senior and disabled populations. Congress must stop these additional cuts to nursing home care. We urge policymakers to consider the deep cuts already being implemented and ensure that funding for nursing home care can be maintained so that our mothers, fathers and grandparents, who rely upon skilled nursing care receive the quality care they deserve.
Arlene Miles is president and CEO of the Colorado Health Care Association.
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