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Ohio Congressman Works to Stop Bush and Help Seniors

Ohio Congressman and Republican Leader John Boehner was praised today for advancing the bipartisan efforts to stop the Bush Administration’s plan to cut senior’s Medicare Part A Nursing Home funding. If the cuts are put through, they could badly hurt the most vulnerable seniors in the country, creating a $45 million loss in Ohio in the next year alone.

Congressman Boehner sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, stating that high quality nursing home care will be seriously threatened if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allows the proposal that would cut $770 million from nursing home funding in 2009, the most vulnerable in society would be hurt the most. After 2009, there would be $4 billion more in cuts over the next five years.

Not only will these cuts impact Ohio nursing homes and the seniors that need them most, but will also impact the economy of the state. Though Congressman Boehner is from Ohio and trying to help Ohio seniors, the same issues hold true in states throughout the nation. The bill will be detrimental to seniors in every state and the economies of every state as well, and as a result.

Boehner’s letter to Secretary Leavitt also states “The administration should be commended for its previous support for policies that moved many high acuity patients into Skilled Nursing Facilities. While these patients may have otherwise been cared for in higher cost facilities, the success of these policies helped to save Medicare $709 million in 2006 alone.”

The Ohio Healthcare Association, a non-profit organization that thanked Congressman Boehner and backs him in his efforts to stop the Bush Administration’s cuts, is the largest healthcare association in Ohio, and represents 700 of the nursing homes and long term care facilities in the state, plus assisted living residences and facilities for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, is the only Chartered Ohio Affiliate of the American Healthcare Association, which represents 12,000 long term care facilities throughout the United States.

With backing and endorsement from an organization of that magnitude, hopefully the results will help Ohio’s – and America’s seniors.

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Bush Long Term Care Cuts Gaining nationwide Bipartisan Criticism

Once again, President Bush’s attempts to save and/or move money around are being called “ill-considered” and “a serious detriment to seniors and long term care.”

Bush has proposed $770 million in cuts to Medicare A national nursing home funding cuts scheduled to take place in a few weeks. Not only is the bill considered harmful to seniors, even Mike Leavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary and key members of the House and Senate are working hard to garner opposition to these cuts.

The consensus is that the Bush Administration’s proposed cuts will drastically and negatively affect high quality skilled nursing care for seniors. There is also extreme concern that reductions of this magnitude will severely diminish access to nursing home care and compromise quality of care received by the nation’s seniors.

In addition, there are studies and reports by the American Healthcare Association and Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care showing the economic impact of the proposed Bush cuts. Not only would they compromise access, quality and care, they will also have a net negative economic impact of $4.5 billion for 2009, approximately $1.8 billion in lost wages, 43,530 lost jobs, and $661 million in lost federal, state and local taxes.

“In the final analysis, the Administration’s ill-considered change to Medicare policy would have unfortunate results for patients, taxpayers and the Medicare plan itself,” was the comment by Patty Cullen, President of the Care Providers of Minnesota. Leaders from South Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire and other states have explained in various ways that because nursing homes rely on Medicare reimbursements, these cuts would have a visible and devastating effect on state Medicaid programs.

Whichever side of the issue people are on, it is good that both sides are being revealed and it would be good for all sides to truly study the situation – and the information from all those who are making points about how this could seriously cripple nursing home services to seniors. It is important to explore the facts before it is too late.

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Posts tagged 'Bush medicare cuts'

Ohio Congressman Works to Stop Bush and Help Seniors

Bush Long Term Care Cuts Gaining nationwide Bipartisan Criticism

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