20 National Organizations Send Letter to White House, Congress on Provider Assessments
“Protect critical Medicaid funding from fiscal cliff deal for vulnerable Americans”
Washington, DC –Twenty national organizations and associations representing Medicaid recipients and health care providers today sent a letter to the White House and Congress urging that provider assessments be protected from fiscal cliff negotiations.
Led by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH), the letter stipulates that reducing or eliminating Medicaid provider assessments would do little to reduce health care costs and only threaten access to quality care for seniors, children, individuals with disabilities and low-income families.
“Provider assessments are a critical tool for states in bridging the gap between what Medicaid funds and what it actually costs to provide care,” said Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “In skilled nursing centers, Medicaid underfunded providers by $6 billion when nearly two-thirds of residents rely on the program for their daily care. Tampering with provider assessments puts at risk skilled nursing centers’ ability to continue providing access to care for our frail seniors and individuals with disabilities.”
“Cutting provider assessments hurts patients,” NAPH President and CEO Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, said. “Congress and the administration must recognize that limiting this crucial funding stream will shift costs onto states – costs that will trickle down to providers and, ultimately, to millions of beneficiaries who rely on Medicaid.”
The associations and organizations that signed on to the letter are:
AARP
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living
American Network of Community Options and Resources
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
Catholic Health Association of the United States
Children’s Hospital Association
Coalition on Human Needs
Families USA
The Jewish Federations of North America
Medicaid Health Plans of America
National AHEC Organization
National Association of Community Health Centers
National Association of Counties
National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Rural Health Association
Service Employees International Union
United Spinal Association
Provider assessments, also known as quality fees or taxes, allow states to generate additional revenue and federal matching funds for Medicaid to more adequately fund care for patients. These assessments have been used to expand coverage, offer additional benefits and increase reimbursement rates. Recent budget proposals have suggested reducing the provider assessment threshold from 6 percent, or eliminating the program altogether.
A copy of the letter can be found
here.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 11,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.