Washington, DC – Governor Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) released the following statement today in response to President Obama’s FY 2012 proposed budget.

“Simply put, cutting Medicaid provider assessments is the wrong move. As states across the country face unprecedented fiscal crises, we struggle with the recommended loss of $18.4 billion in critical Medicaid funding over the next decade. Provider assessments are vital tools that allow states to voluntarily leverage funding to care for the economically disadvantaged and medically frail.

“We understand the country is facing a significant debt crisis and we all must be part of the solution. Skilled nursing facilities are uniquely situated to provide high quality care in an extremely cost efficient setting. Therefore we acknowledge the Administration’s recognition of the need for sustained and sufficient Medicare funding.

“With the Baby Boom generation hitting retirement age this year, the demand on long term and post-acute care is increasing by the day. Long term care is the 10^th largest employer in the nation and a stable force in an unstable economy. Earlier this year, AHCA/NCAL released a report on the economic impact of long term care – finding that our facilities generated $529 billion in total economic activity, while supporting and creating over 5.4 million jobs, and returning over $60 billion in taxes back to federal and state coffers annually.”