Economy Alarm: Ohio Seniors Expected to be Hard Hit by Dems’ Proposed Cuts
Ohio Seniors Expected to be Hard Hit by Dems’ Proposed Cuts
Proposed Cuts on Medicare-Funded Nursing Home Care Will Exceed $14.5 Billion, Endangering Seniors’ Care Needs and over 3,100 Ohio Jobs
Obama Encouraged Seniors to Have Confidence That the Government Will Not Cut Medicare Benefits
“‘If you do have health insurance, we will make sure that no insurance company or government bureaucrat gets between you and the care that you need. And we will do this without adding to our deficit over the next decade, largely by cutting out the waste and insurance company giveaways in Medicare that aren’t making any of our seniors healthier…. And so I do think it’s important for particularly seniors who currently receive Medicare, to understand that, if we’re able to get something right, like Medicare, then there should be a little more confidence that maybe the government can have a role, not the dominant role, but a role, in making sure the people are treated fairly when it comes to insurance…. So I just want seniors to be clear about this, because if you look at the polling, it turns out seniors are the ones who are most worried about health care reform. And that’s understandable because they use a lot of care. They’ve got Medicare. And it’s already hard for a lot of people even on Medicare because of the supplements and all the other costs out of pocket that they’re still paying. So I just want to assure, we’re not talking about cutting Medicare benefits.’” (“President Obama Delivers Remarks on Health Care At N.H. Town Hall Meeting,” CQ Transcriptions, 08/11/2009)
Credibility Crash: New Analysis Reveals Seniors Can Expect Medicare-Funded Nursing Home Care Cuts to Exceed $14.5 Billion Over 10 years
A new analysis of the pending House health reform bill, combined with the impact of new regulations cutting Medicare-funded nursing home care by $12 billion over 10 years, finds seniors in Ohio who require nursing and rehabilitative care will face funding cuts exceeding $2.5 billion over that same period.
That places Ohio fifth among states facing the highest cuts, finds the analysis by the American Health Care Association. Nationally, the study finds, seniors’ Medicare cuts will total $44 billion over 10 years, prompting Ohio’s long term-care community to warn that seniors’ care needs are endangered by the House bill, as are the jobs of more than 3,100 caregivers in Ohio.
This is on top of state cuts of $184 million to skilled nursing homes imposed by Ohio’s biennium budget process, the study states.
“We are greatly concerned about the impact proposed cuts will have on Ohio seniors’ Medicare-funded nursing care. We urge lawmakers to consider how cuts of this size will affect senior care and ask that Congress revise its plan to ensure seniors are helped by reform measures,” says Peter Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association.
“Arguments being made that seniors’ benefits will not be reduced by the House bill do not recognize that cuts would force providers to cut staff because labor expenses make up 70% of facility costs. Cutting staff within a facility has a direct impact on patients and their care,” Van Runkle clarifies.
Other states with cuts exceeding $1 billion over 10 years include California, Florida, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut and Tennessee. (“Ohio Seniors Hard Hit by Proposed Cuts,” Business Journal Daily, 08/27/2009)
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