As the Senate began deliberation of health care reform this week, a panel of experts said the legislation would reduce costs and improve quality of care for seniors by changing the incentives for health care providers.
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, sponsored the roundtable to provide factual information to the public about how the legislation would affect senior citizens.
The expert panelists said that that health care reform would put more emphasis on wellness and preventive care, change the incentives from a pay for service to one based on outcomes, continue to shift Medicaid dollars from institutional care to home and community based services which includes assisted living and help individuals of all ages afford long term care options with an optional long term care insurance program (CLASS Act).
The panelists said that the reforms are intended to be patient focused rather than provider focused and include incentives to encourage institutions like hospitals to take steps to reduce bacterial infections and not prematurely discharge seniors and take steps to ensure adequate medical support after hospitalization. Changes in Medicare and Medicaid rules are expected to have a ripple effect throughout the entire health care delivery system. A shift towards a wellness model will also help younger Americans stay healthier which will reduce health care costs as they age they said.
“The Senate bill is extremely positive for seniors,’’ said John Rother of AARP, the lobbying group for older Americans which has endorsed health care reform.
The sweeping legislation includes a number of provisions which affect seniors including:
- The first comprehensive regulatory change for nursing homes in 20 years which will force nursing homes to disclose all owners and a history of penalties and make it easier to file complaints.
- Mandatory criminal background checks for workers in all long term care facilities funded by Medicare or Medicaid.
- Increased penalties and tools for prosecution of those who engage in elder abuse.
- An annual free health risk assessment or wellness visit for all Medicare recipients.
- Expanded prescription drug coverage.
The panelists represented the Consumers Union, AARP, the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, the Medicare Rights Center and the National Partnership for Women and Families.
