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Long-term care being neglected
I've been watching the recent health care reform efforts with a great deal of optimism. I think this time that positive change can occur, but I'm concerned that long-term care reform isn't being addressed.
Since Medicaid began in 1965, the only long-term care mandated by the federal government has been in nursing homes. Receiving those same supports in the community has been deemed optional and it's up to each state if they want to provide those services. The problem is that this arrangement gives little choice to those elderly and disabled Americans who need long-term care assistance. It has allowed an institutional bias that the nursing home industry has benefitted from for decades.
There is a bill in Congress right now that would remedy this injustice. The Community Choice Act, Senate Bill 683, would federally mandate that states provide a choice of getting long-term care services in the community or a nursing home. It would balance the playing field between home care providers and nursing home operators along with giving many Americans freedom from living in an institution. Sounds simple but the nursing home industry wants to protect their golden egg of government funding.
You may be asking, how does this affect me? Well, unless you are planning not to grow old it certainly does matter. When you grow old, where will you want to live? At home in familiar surroundings or in a nursing home where you'll be in very unfamiliar surroundings? Doesn't get any simpler than that, does it?
If you want choice in long-term care for yourself or a loved one, please urge Congress to include the language and intent of the Community Choice Act in current health care reform legislation. There is definitely no place like home; a real home, not a nursing home!
