Coleman Praised for Leading U.S. Senate Effort to Stop Bush Medicare Cuts From Going into Effect

MN Senator Leads Successful Bipartisan Effort in Congress to Stop $11.4 Million State Medicare Cut

MINNEAPOLIS, July 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- State and national long term care leaders today praised U.S. Senator Norm Coleman, fromMinnesota, for leading a successful, bipartisan effort in Congress to stop the Bush Administration from moving forward with a Medicare regulation that would have cut Medicare-funded nursing home care by $5 billion over the next five years and $770 million in fiscal year 2009. Senator Coleman's action ensuresMinnesota seniors will be protected from cuts of $11.4 million in the year ahead.

"The Bush Administration's planned Medicare cuts not only threatenedMinnesota seniors' access to quality health care throughout our state, but would have also negatively impacted our state and local economy, and we are grateful to Senator Coleman for leading the effort in Congress to stop these unwise, unwarranted cuts," stated Patti Cullen, President of Care Providers ofMinnesota. "Senator Coleman's enormous efforts inWashington to protect his most vulnerable constituents reflect the independent thinking and actionMinnesota needs, deserves and appreciates."

"The bottom-line news from today's announcement is that Minnesota's Medicare beneficiaries are deservedly the big winners," stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), inWashington, D.C. "Thanks to Senator Coleman,Minnesota seniors will retain ready access to the high quality care they need and deserve."

Alan G. Rosenbloom, President of the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, stated, "From a policy standpoint, this is an outstanding development in terms of both meeting seniors' changing health care needs, and doing so in a manner that uses Medicare funds efficiently. The Administration and Congress deserve enormous credit for working in an intelligent, collegial, bipartisan manner to help achieve today's positive results."

Working with U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), Senator Coleman led a Senate letter-writing effort to HHS Sec. Mike Leavitt warning the planned Medicare change "will jeopardize the significant quality improvements made by the skilled nursing facility (SNF) community in recent years as well as the ability of SNFs to continue caring for high acuity patients. Because SNFs rely on Medicare to make up for chronic underfunding by the Medicaid program - an average of $13 per day for every Medicaid beneficiary in nursing homes nationwide - it is critically important that Medicare reimbursement remain fair and consistent. We believe that if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) were to finalize its proposed rule, the ability of providers to care for our nation's most vulnerable population - the frail elderly and disabled - would be severely threatened."

Cullen also noted that Medicare cuts fromWashington would have had a severely negative impact on the strength and viability of Minnesota's Medicaid program. "Because nursing homes rely on Medicare to make up for chronic underfunding by the Medicaid program - an average of $25 per day for every Medicaid beneficiary in nursing homes inMinnesota - it was critically important to ensure Medicare reimbursements remain steady and consistent," Cullen concluded.

SOURCE American Health Care Association

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