Driving for Quality Care petition tour for securing stable Medicaid, Medicare funding

Petition Tour rolls through the southeast calling on legislators to support FMAP to protect senior care, vital frontline caregiving jobs

As the extension of emergency Medicaid relief (FMAP) moves from the Senate to the House of Representatives, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living's (AHCA/NCAL's) nationwide Driving for Quality Care petition tour for securing adequate, stable Medicaid and Medicare funding for long term and rehabilitative care for America's seniors and disabled citizens continues to draw significant support from legislators and coverage from local media.

"The Senate did the right thing by passing this vital Medicaid relief, and the House needs to follow by approving this measurer quickly," said Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL.  "Our nationwide, grassroots effort continues to build support every day for adequate long-term care funding as we travel from state to state.  The extension of emergency Medicaid funding is an important first step in making sure America's seniors and disabled continue to have access to the quality care they need and deserve."

After a successful launch in the nation's capital in June, the AHCA/NCAL RV has traveled more than 6,000 miles through 21 states, generating considerable media attention and congressional support.

Highlights from the tour to date include:

Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) in a letter stated, "Our seniors have done so much for this country, and they deserved our continued support.  I commend and applaud you all for your efforts to bring awareness to this cause."

Representative John Spratt (D-SC) noted in a statement of support, "We will keep searching for the means to renew and fund enhanced FMAI, and we will keep stressing to the Governor and State Legislature the need for them to do their part, and in doing so, take full advantage of the federal matching share for the elderly Medicaid patients."

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) stated, "Driving for Quality Care is an important petition that reached out to the community, urging their legislators to take action on this important Medicare relief to protect Florida's seniors."

Patricia Simmons, a resident at Prattville Health and Rehabilitation in Prattville, AL told WNCF-TV (ABC), "I'm wheelchair bound, I can stand up and pivot but I have to be helped with personal care and help with dressing from my feet up I can't do that."  WNCF-TV also reported, "Simmons and other seniors in Prattville put their pens to paper to raise awareness about emergency Medicaid relief which would mean over $300 million for Alabama alone…. For some elderly people this bill passing could make the difference between quality care and no care at all. Organizers say not only would seniors lose, but communities could suffer."

Neil Pruitt, the chairman and CEO of UHS-Pruitt Corporation, told the Augusta Chronicle on July 27, "Threats to the Medicaid program don't affect us; they affect the folks inside of our buildings. We created over 50,000 new jobs in America last year. And we improved quality at the same time.  So if we take away those jobs, unfortunately quality care is going to suffer."

At Driving for Quality Care event in Tampa, FL, WFTS-TV (ABC) reported, "Local caregivers support the legislation, and they recognized Congresswoman Kathy Castor for her ongoing support of Florida's senior care community and for recently introducing the Nursing Home Patient & Medicaid Assistance Act of 2010.  If passed, the act would assist long term and rehabilitation centers by providing supplemental Medicaid payments for specific nursing facilities."