Washington, DC – The American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass an important bipartisan bill introduced by House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA) that would impose one-year moratoria on seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The bill is scheduled for a vote today on the House floor and represents a key issue for AHCA/NCAL and the long term care profession.
“With the Dingell-Murphy bill scheduled for a vote today before the full House, the long term care community reiterates the importance of supporting this bill, which will protect the care and well-being of lawmakers’ most vulnerable constituents,” stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “These regulations have the ability to disrupt an already fragile system of long term care, especially in states already struggling to provide for poor, elderly citizens. We are pleased that this effort is receiving strong bipartisan support, and we thank John Dingell, Tim Murphy and the more than 200 cosponsors on both sides of the aisle who are working hard to ensure this key bill is approved on the House floor.”
The Dingell-Murphy bill, Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 (H.R. 5613), would halt Bush Administration efforts to reduce federal Medicaid funds, not through greater efficiency, but by unilaterally implementing CMS regulations that would limit Medicaid payments for targeted case management services, cost limits for public providers, provider taxes, rehabilitation services, school-based transportation and outreach services, and hospital outpatient services.
Yarwood said that with at least half of the states expecting budget shortfalls for the 2009 fiscal year, according to the National Governors Association (NGA), Governors and state legislatures will already be under enormous pressure to reduce spending on vital Medicaid programs and services integral to the care of their oldest, sickest seniors.
“Given the challenging economic times we face in the near term, implementation of these regulations – on top of a slowing economy – will no doubt further limit seniors’ ability to access key Medicaid programs, and the Dingell-Murphy bill must be passed,” Yarwood 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.