As our country faces an increasing aging population with medical needs, new technology and increased clinical sophistication have permitted home health agencies to serve more complex patients.

In recent years, however, the federal government has significantly reduced Medicare payments to home health agencies by well over 50 percent. This dramatic reduction has resulted in lack of access to home health services even though these services are cost-effective to the federal government and are typically patient-preferred over other health care settings.

It was initially Sen. Susan Collins who solely recognized that home health patients and providers were in dire need of federal help. Since the reductions went into effect in 1997, Sen. Collins has fought to eliminate an additional 15 percent home health reduction. She has successfully had the reduction delayed each year since 1997.

Last month, Sen. Collins gained the support of 99 of her colleagues to ensure that this year’s budget resolution would reserve sufficient funding to completely eliminate the expected home health reduction. Sen. Collins worked to ensure passage by both the Senate and the House. Encouragingly, her efforts have been a success.

The next step will be for home health patients and providers to rally in support of her legislation (S. 326) to ensure, once and for all, that the reduction is completely eliminated.

For Gentiva Health Services in Bangor the 15 percent cut would have negative implications. As a rural health care provider, our agency is burdened with financial constraints of trying to provide services with a geographical distance stretching over a hundred miles radius. At the same time, the current nurse and home health aide shortages will only be further exacerbated if an additional reduction takes effect. For these reasons, the looming reduction must be eliminated as Sen. Collins has proposed.

I thank Sen. Collins for her leadership in resolving the problems faced by home health patients and providers. Only through her legislation can home health services continue as an integral component of the health care system.

Julie M. Ogden

Bangor