Kerry Fights for Home Health Services in Final Health Care Bill

[ProSense]

Kerry Fights for Home Health Services in Final Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), a senior member of the Finance Committee, along with thirty-one bipartisan colleagues, wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Chairmen Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) requesting that home health care services be protected in the final health reform bill. "Some of our most vulnerable Americans rely on home health services," said the senators. "The Senate bill is a common sense approach that maintains necessary delivery reforms while preserving access to health care for homebound Medicare beneficiaries. We'd be better served by the home health provisions in the Senate bill than the excessive home health reductions in the House bill. We look forward to working with you to ensure that health reform legislation protects access to home health services for our country's aging population." In December 2009, the Senate passed Kerry's amendment guaranteeing home health benefits for seniors by a vote of 96-0. The full text of the letter is below:

<...>

Dear Senators Reid, Baucus, Dodd, and Harkin:

As you work to finalize health care reform legislation, we urge you to continue to protect access to home health services by ensuring that the more fair and equitable Senate provisions are adopted in the final bill.

Currently, over 3 million Medicare beneficiaries receive home health services across the country—including those with acute illnesses and injuries and those afflicted with numerous chronic conditions.

We are concerned that the nearly $55 billion reduction in home health payments in the House bill represents a disproportionate sacrifice for the home health community. Both the National Association for Home Care & Hospice and the Visiting Nurse Associations of America project that the House bill would result in more than two-thirds of the nation's home health agencies being paid less than the cost of care by 2011. This level of reduction to home health payments would negatively affect access to care in the home setting.

We believe home health services contribute to our national goal of providing quality care while reducing health care costs. Home health providers fulfill a critical role in our nation's health care delivery system. Americans strongly prefer to stay at home with their families rather than enter an institutionalized setting. A recent article by Robert Pear in the New York Times provides an analysis of the home health reductions in the House bill and highlights many of our concerns about the negative potential impact of the House's approach to both home health patients and providers.

We understand that every health care industry is being asked to perform in a more cost-effective manner, including the home health industry. The Senate-passed bill includes a significant and responsible level of home health reductions that will ensure access to medically needed home health services for Medicare beneficiaries. The Senate bill targets fraud and abuse in the home health industry and spreads the payment reductions over a longer period of time to allow providers to adjust to payment changes. The Senate bill also includes additional funding for vulnerable safety net providers who provide care for chronically ill, low-income or underserved Medicare beneficiaries.

The individuals who rely on home health services are among the most vulnerable in our country. Home health patients average nearly 80 years of age and often have multiple chronic conditions. The Senate bill represents a common sense approach that maintains necessary delivery reforms while preserving access to health care for homebound Medicare beneficiaries. We believe the nation would be better served by the home health provisions in the Senate bill than the excessive home health reductions in the House bill.

Thank you for all of your work on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. We look forward to working with you to ensure that health reform legislation protects access to home health services for our country's aging population.

Sincerely,

Senator John Kerry

Senator Debbie Stabenow

Senator Paul Kirk

Senator Ron Wyden


Senator Susan Collins

Senator Jeanne Shaheen


Senator Sherrod Brown

Senator Tim Johnson


Senator Robert Casey

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand


Senator Mary Landrieu

Senator Russ Feingold


Senator Ben Cardin

Senator Patrick Leahy


Senator Blanche Lincoln

Senator Michael Bennet


Senator Arlen Specter

Senator Mark Warner


Senator Amy Klobuchar

Senator Ben Nelson


Senator Robert Menendez

Senator Chuck Schumer


Senator Daniel Akaka

Senator Dianne Feinstein


Senator Frank Lautenberg

Senator Jeff Merkley


Senator Bernie Sanders

Senator Barbara Boxer


Senator Bill Nelson

Senator Maria Cantwell


Senator Herb Kohl

Senator Claire McCaskill

[Cha]

1. And, a Kick..this is very much appreciated!

[Lord Helmet]

2. Great! k 'n r

[damntexdem]

3. Good for him. Protect home- and community-based services.

Largely home health care in Medicare.

Gut the extra payments for Advantage insurers; but protect the basic services.

[Bitwit1234]

4. Take it for one who just had two

debilitating cancer operations. Home health care was truly appreciated. I think everyone should be entitled to it.

[ArnoldLayne]

5. That sounds like a good idea

:dem:

[Clio the Leo]

6. .... and he's doing it FROM HOME no less!

... as he recovers from surgery.

[karynnj]

7. and Teresa Heinz Kerry may be recovering at home as well

as she was suppose to have radiation treatment this month.

[Clio the Leo]

12. Kinda makes you want to send them a casserole.

:)

[inna]

8. Finally, a post worth recommending, for a change. KR+22

"We are concerned that the nearly $55 billion reduction in home health payments in the House bill represents a disproportionate sacrifice for the home health community."


NO FUCKING KIDDING. It's an absolutely incomprehensible thing to do, especially when millions of boomers will be entering the system.
(Same refers to dramatic cuts in funding of nursing homes, among other things.)

Shame on DINOs who came up with this monstrosity of a legislation in the first place.

Kudos to Kerry for at least trying (I'm not sure he has a chance to revert it at this point).


Kill this sick joke of health care Deform and start over with Medicare for all (in incremental steps, if needed). That's what the majority of the country wants.

[inna]

13. .

[inna]

15. .

:sneezes violently:

[nightrain]

9. yep. Sad that we are at the point of having to argue for certain segments of

health care services. What's next? Immunizations? Mammography? podiatry? glaucoma screening?

Who here is in favor of continuing MD visits, HgA1cs or BP check-ups?

Maybe we could do without beta blockers or heart caths?

Quite a few of the New Dems on that list, interestingly...

[politicasista]

10. Kick

:kick: :patriot:

[jillan]

11. As someone who has had to rely on Home Health Care Service - THANK YOU John Kerry!

[old mark]

14. K&R-thanks for this post.

I had pretty much stopped following the "reform" bill out of disgust, didn't want to resume interest till the final version emerged, but it's good to have a little positive news occasionally.
I see both my PA Senators back this - maybe my nasty emails were effective after all.

mark