TNAHSA Puts Long-Term Health Care on Presidential Candidates' Radar

As the presidential candidates prepare for the debate at Belmont University next week, health care is sure to be on the agenda.Nashville is known as the health care capital of the country and hundreds ofNashville area health care companies will be watching with interest to decipher the candidates' views on our nation's health care crisis.

"Thirty-four million Americans are uninsured for health care and 220 million are uninsured for long-term care," said TNAHSA President and CEO Carrie Ermshar. "The lack of coverage for long-term care can be just as catastrophic for families as the lack of general health insurance."

TNAHSA is theTennessee affiliate of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA), a national organization representing 5,800 member organizations nationwide. The position of the organizations is that long-term care must be included as legislators look to improve health care coverage for Americans.

TNAHSA worked closely with state officials and policymakers to ensure the passing of the Long-Term Care Community Choices Act of 2008 earlier this year. The act, scheduled for implementation in Middle Tennessee in January, will offer alternatives to nursing home care to Medicaid-eligible aged and disabled Tennesseans.

Ninety-eight percent of all Medicaid-funded, long-term care services in Tennessee have traditionally been delivered in nursing homes. The act will make alternatives to institutional care, such as personal care services and assisted living, accessible and will save Medicaid dollars for both the state and the federal governments.

The passage of the act serves as a testimony of the need for long-term funding reform at the federal level, an issue both TNAHSA and AAHSA encourage elected officials to consider.

AAHSA's plan for an equitable and affordable system of long-term care coverage calls for a national insurance trust to be paid on the basis of disability and according to level of need. Long-term care costs include services for the aging and disabled delivered in assisted living, senior housing, continuing care retirement communities and nursing home settings.

AAHSA notes that today, individuals and families are forced to cover 52 percent of long-term care costs out of pocket. The cost of paid care is only the tip of the iceberg, because approximately 75 percent of long-term support is provided by family members. That forces millions of Americans to care for aging and disabled family members while sacrificing their own opportunities for employment, health insurance and retirement savings.

"Both Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) now recognize that long-term care must be included in health reform, as evidenced by position statements on their Web sites," said AAHSA President Larry Minnix. "This is a major achievement, as the previous prevailing wisdom (or lack thereof) was that the country needs to fix health care first. We constantly hammer the proposition that health care and long-term care are inextricably intertwined."

About TNAHSA

TNAHSA represents skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, senior housing services and various agencies serving senior adults throughout Tennessee. An affiliate of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA), TNAHSA provides leadership, advocacy, education and communication services. For more information about TNAHSA, please visit www.tnahsa.org or call 615-256-1800.

SOURCE Tennessee Association of Homes and Services for the Aging

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Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News

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