Washington, DC - The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today expressed its opposition to the Arbitration Fairness Act (H.R. 1020) that would prohibit the use of pre-dispute arbitration agreements in all consumer, employment and franchise contracts.
“The use of pre-dispute agreements throughout the healthcare sector helps bring about more timely, less adversarial settlements,” stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “Like other health care providers, we strongly support the use of arbitration as a reasonable, intelligent option for both patients and providers to help assist in the resolution of legal disputes.”
“Arbitration settlements are quicker and less adversarial than traditional litigation, and many courts throughout America have determined the process to be both fair and appropriate,” Yarwood continued. “We believe that fair and timely resolution to any legal concerns is in the best interest of the patients, residents, taxpayers and the nation’s entire health care sector.”
Yarwood highlighted that pre-dispute arbitration agreements are a viable legal option for long term care consumers and providers and are often in the best interest of the patients, residents, and taxpayers. “AHCA/NCAL is – and always will be – committed to ensuring long term care facilities place paramount importance on the delivery of high quality care, and providing a safe and secure environment for the millions of Americans residing in our nation's nursing and assisted living facilities,” he concluded.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) represent nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to 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. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.