Washington, DC – The American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) praised the U.S. Congress for passing legislation late last evening that prevents the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing six Medicaid regulations that would mean a loss of federal Medicaid funds that could disrupt our nation’s already fragile system of long term care so critical to frail, elderly Americans.
“We appreciate the leadership of Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), as well as House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA), who have championed the moratoria on these Medicaid regulations,” said Bruce Yarwood, President & CEO of AHCA/NCAL.
The overwhelming majority of Congress voted in favor of placing moratoria until April 2009 on six Medicaid regulations. Yarwood continued, “Clearly, Congress understands how vital this funding is, especially as governors and state legislatures face budget pressures that are squeezing state Medicaid funding. AHCA/NCAL applauds the majority of Democrats and Republicans who voted to delay implementation of Medicaid regulations from disrupting our already fragile long term care system during these challenging economic times.”
President Bush is expected to sign the war supplemental spending bill that includes moratoria on six Medicaid regulations within the coming week. The legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives last Friday with a veto-proof majority of 416 to 12 votes, and passed the U.S. Senate late last night by a 92 to 6 vote. The legislation halts efforts to reduce federal Medicaid funds by unilaterally implementing regulations that would limit Medicaid payments for case management services, cost limits for public providers, provider taxes, rehabilitation services, graduate medical education, and school administration and transportation services.
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.