Washington, DC – In the wake of a variety of forecasts predicting an economic downturn, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) today urged Congress and the White House to include in any final economic stimulus package state fiscal relief through a temporary increase in states’ federal Medical assistance percentage (FMAP), and cited the success of a similar federal effort in 2003 to help ensure seniors’ ability to access key Medicaid benefits and services in the face of state fiscal problems caused by worsening economic conditions.
“We strongly urge Congress and President Bush to include state fiscal relief through inclusion of a FMAP provision in any economic stimulus package that is passed into law, and we believe this federal fiscal relief would be a lifeline to many U.S. seniors now as it was in 2003, when a temporary FMAP increase helped protect our most vulnerable citizens’ access to vital Medicaid care and services,” stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA. “It is instructive to recall that the 2003 initiative helped protect health care for one million Americans at a time when many states were cutting back on health care services and eligibility – and including an FMAP provision in a new stimulus package could help to preempt problems before they develop.”
The legislation passed by Congress in 2003 sent $20 billion dollars in fiscal relief to the states, and was made up of two parts: First, was $10 billion in Medicaid funds through a temporary increase in FMAP; second, was $10 billion in revenue sharing states could use for essential government services financing and unfunded federal mandates.
The American Health Care Association represents 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.