Conference to caution Congress on the ill effects of pending Medicare cuts to be organized

To Caution Congress on How Pending Medicare Cuts in Current Health Reform Bills Represent Severe Threat to Nation's Nursing Home Patients, Workforce and Local Economies

A new national coalition of small long-term care businesses that provide vital services to the nation's skilled nursing facilities, will join with Maine nursing home providers and frontline caregivers for a Capitol Hill press conference to caution against deep Medicare cuts included in current healthcare reform legislation. With pending health reform legislation in the U.S. Congress containing cuts of up to $32 billion over ten years to Medicare-funded nursing home care, the organizations will detail the specific threat to seniors' care, state health care providers, and local businesses and jobs throughout the U.S. as facility closures and bankruptcy protections continue to take place across the country.

The Community Cares Coalition (CoCares), the Maine Health Care Association (MEHCA) and the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), will outline how massive Medicare cuts are especially alarming in the context of broader state and national economic problems -- state Medicaid budget crises in particular -- and explain how lawmakers can help fix the problems as health care reform enters a critical stage.

WHO: Rick Erb, Executive Director of Maine Health Care Association Lisa Cantrell, National Co-Chair of National Association of Health Care Assistants Tom Norton, Owner, Lee Agency Insurance Muscatine, Iowa Community Cares Coalition WHEN: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. 122 Cannon House Office Building

SOURCE Community Cares Coalition