Washington, DC – The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today called on long term care insurance (LTCI) officials to be held to the highest standard when it comes to paying policyholders, and stated that expanding federal and state LTCI programs remains integral to strengthening the nation’s Medicaid program for the benefit of our oldest, most vulnerable seniors.
“The purchase of long term care insurance is among the most important actions one can take in their thirties, forties and fifties to avoid impoverishing themselves in order to qualify for Medicaid in later years,” stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “We are committed to ensuring that a growing number of Americans prepare for their future care needs with long term care insurance.
Following a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Yarwood thanked Subcommittee Chairman, U.S. Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI), for evaluating how best to protect consumers who invest in long term care policies, and said the topic at hand is necessary to help Americans take proactive steps to deal with future long term care costs.
“The more Americans purchase long term care insurance, the more we take pressure off of Medicaid for the benefit of the nation’s poorest, most vulnerable seniors,” Yarwood continued. “Medicaid must remain financially viable to ensure America’s frail, elderly and disabled citizens retain ready access to this vital safety net program.”
The AHCA/NCAL President and CEO also praised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for its “Own Your Future” initiative that is helping citizens in 18 states take a more active role in planning for their future long term care needs. The initiative, Yarwood said, compliments the objectives of a new plan introduced by the long term care profession to strengthen the nation’s long term and post-acute care delivery system.
Concluded Yarwood, “The HHS initiative closely parallels and complements the major reform plan our profession has released, which expands Americans’ ability to plan for their long term care needs, and more broadly proposes a variety of ways to strengthen our nation’s long term and post-acute care delivery system.”
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.