Washington, DC – The President and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), Bruce Yarwood, today praised U.S. Senate passage of two key AHCA legislative priorities: a longer term extension of the Medicare Part B therapy cap exceptions process, and enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) Medicaid funding granted to states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Both of these provisions, Yarwood said, will benefit U.S. seniors enormously, and he urged the U.S. House of Representatives to quickly act on the Senate’s positive action.
“As seniors across the U.S. are being subjected to hurtful state Medicaid cuts and other negative care variables associated with the ongoing national recession, passage of the therapy cap extension provision and enhanced FMAP funding are two key AHCA legislative priorities that have just moved closer to being achieved, and we thank the U.S. Senate for advancing the ball down the field,” stated Yarwood. “We urge the U.S. House to move expeditiously to pass these provisions so as to provide our nation’s most vulnerable seniors and the facilities who provide for their care the urgent relief they so badly need.”
The therapy exceptions process will be extended through December 31, 2010, and the enhanced FMAP funds will be extended for six months through June 30, 2011. These provisions were in a larger bill with a series of “extenders” of government programs that were expiring or had expired. “Congress has responded six times in the past to prevent Medicare beneficiaries from being negatively impacted by the therapy cap policy, and we hope lawmakers will ultimately take a permanent step and ensure elderly citizens are never again cut off from the crucial therapy services needed to improve their conditions,” Yarwood continued.
To help protect care quality and preserve key health care jobs, Yarwood urged Governors last month to ensure their respective state congressional delegations understand the urgency of extending federal Medicaid. “We’re making progress in Congress on this key Medicaid funding front, and we agree with Governors of both parties that extending federal Medicaid relief must continue to be a front-burner congressional priority in order to protect America’s most vulnerable frail, elderly and disabled,” Yarwood concluded.
As the nation’s largest association of long term and post-acute care providers, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) advocates for quality care and services for frail, elderly and disabled Americans. Compassionate and caring employees provide essential care to one million individuals in our 11,000 not-for-profit and proprietary member facilities.