North Dakota congressional delegation praised for recognizing seniors’ care needs as priority in final bill

With North Dakota seniors facing cuts of up to $75 million in their Medicare-funded nursing home care over the next ten years as a result of pending health reform legislation in Congress, North Dakota and national long term care leaders conducted a North Dakota media teleconference today to praise the North Dakota congressional delegation for recognizing the specific concerns of seniors and caregivers, and ensuring the leadership in their respective chambers clearly understand why seniors' care needs must be a priority in a final bill.

"We thank Senator Kent Conrad, Senator Byron Dorgan and Congressman Earl Pomeroy for taking a firm, declarative stand when it comes to fighting on behalf of North Dakota's elderly constituents who need and deserve continued access to quality nursing home care," stated Shelley Peterson, President of the North Dakota Long Term Care Association (NDLTCA).

"Focusing much-needed attention on the unique challenges we face in providing quality care to the vulnerable patients we serve in North Dakota is essential to eventually passing health care reforms we can all be proud of," she continued. "As this contentious and unpredictable health reform debate proceeds, we are counting on the North Dakota delegation to continue fighting for the interests for our state's most vulnerable citizens and those who provide their care."

Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in Washington, D.C. said "the stakes for seniors and those who provide their care have never been higher," and pointed out that as the nature of North Dakota's nursing home patient population continues to evolve, federal and state policymakers should support efforts to facilitate nursing homes' ability to care for higher-acuity, post-acute Medicare beneficiaries.

"Nursing homes throughout North Dakota have invested heavily in recent years to increase capabilities to admit, treat and return to home a growing number of patients requiring intensive rehabilitative care, and to care for patients with multiple chronic illnesses," stated Yarwood. "In addition to cutting jobs and damaging our fragile economy, implementing the enormous Medicare cuts we now see, in the House bill especially, would inhibit our profession's continued investment in cost effective care."

Peterson and Yarwood noted that deep Medicare funding cuts, if approved in a final health care package, would come at a time when the Obama Administration just imposed a regulatory cut to Medicare-financed nursing home care of up to $16 billion nationally -- translating to at least $22.3 million in North Dakota alone. These cuts were put into effect by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on October 1, 2009.

SOURCE North Dakota Long Term Care Association