AHCA/NCAL Praises House Budget Blueprint That Protects Medicare & Medicaid Funding, USA

April 11, 2007 – 4:18 pm | posted in Medicare

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) today praised the U.S. House of Representatives for passage of its FY 2008 budget blueprint, which includes no cuts to Medicare and Medicaid. AHCA/NCAL also recognized House Budget Chairman John Spratt (DSC) for his leadership in protecting the health care needs of America’s frail, elderly, and disabled in this initial budgeting process.

“The Administration’s proposed Medicare and Medicaid cuts would destabilize long term care for years to come,” commented Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. Yarwood continued, “We thank Chairman Spratt for leading an effective effort to reject cuts that undermine the provision of quality care to our most vulnerable seniors and disabled citizens. As Congress proceeds to conference, we urge opponents of Medicare and Medicaid cuts to maintain the same resolve in protecting the interests of their elderly constituents and people with disabilities.

Approximately 80% of nursing home patients rely on Medicare or Medicaid to pay for their long term care, while more than 120,000 assisted living residents rely on Medicaid to pay for their long term care services. Given that those 85 and older comprise the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, the need for long term care will continue to increase significantly. Providing sufficient and stable funding levels of funding for Medicare and Medicaid, Yarwood said, will ensure seniors will have ready access to long term care when the time inevitably arrives.

“AHCA/NCAL is working cooperatively with the Administration and those on Capitol Hill who seek to ensure that the quality of long term care in America continues to improve; still, we recognize that budget cuts, which undermine our sector’s financial stability, represent a significant impediment to achieving greater quality improvements,” Yarwood concluded.

The American Health Care Association and the National Center For Assisted Living are the nation’s leading long term care organizations. AHCA/NCAL and their membership are committed to performance excellence and Quality First, a covenant for healthy, affordable and ethical long term care. AHCA/NCAL represent more than 10,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily to more than 1.5 million of our nation’s frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

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