Washington, D.C. – The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today gathered more than 400 long term and post-acute care professionals at its annual Congressional Briefing event to take the profession’s legislative priorities to Capitol Hill. Advocates will hear from Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carl Bernstein.
“The long term care sector is facing many challenges today, but our members continue to provide better care than ever despite financial downturn and a tight labor market. That’s why it’s so important to tell policymakers that we need a predictable financial future and fair regulatory environment to survive the current economic climate,” said AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson.
AHCA/NCAL members will share their professional experiences and discuss several topics of importance to long term and post-acute care providers, including:
- significant strides in the quality of care provided in skilled nursing centers and assisted living communities;
- financial strife in the sector where skilled nursing facilities are operating on razor-thin margins;
- investing in long term services and supports for older Americans as the Baby Boomer populations begins to require our care; and
- necessary revisions to the 2016 Requirements of Participation that forces facilities to use vital financial and staffing resources on paper compliance rather than bedside care.
Attendees will also discuss and review other significant issues, including regulations on CNA training programs and consolidated billing, specific quality gains, and the sector’s impact on local economies.
“Skilled nursing centers and other long term care facilities play a key economic role in every Congressional district, providing jobs and a necessary public health service to care for our nation’s seniors and individuals with disabilities,” said AHCA Board Chair Michael Wylie. “Lawmakers need to hear directly from our profession on policies affecting our sector, which is why we’re bringing our members to the Hill.”