The benefits of long-term health care legislation

While many of the laws passed by the U.S. Congress often appear to the public as quick-fix remedies designed to temporarily address larger systemic problems, there are on occasion legislative initiatives put forward that thoughtfully address the big policy picture, and that have the potential to make a tremendous longer-term difference in the lives of many Americans.

Such is clearly the case with Sen. Susan Collins’ bill, the Long Term Care Quality and Modernization Act, which takes an intelligent, rational, longer-term approach toward ensuring care in Maine’s and our nation’s nursing homes continues to improve. As our profession is responsible for the care and well-being of our nation’s oldest, most vulnerable seniors, we believe Sen. Collins’ bill – introduced jointly with Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., – is a comprehensive, bipartisan legislative template that finally begins to resolve many structural and financial impediments now threatening our ongoing quality improvement efforts.

This is a very timely initiative. It is estimated by the federal government that as many as 60 percent of Americans reaching 65 years of age will need long-term care services at some point during their lives. More than 7,000 frail, elderly and disabled Maine residents currently rely on the services provided by our state’s long-term care providers and 2.5 million citizens do nationally. This population will grow exponentially in the decades ahead as the leading edge of the boomer demographic wave enters a retirement system in need of structural stability.

The key priorities of the Long Term Care Quality and Modernization Act are as follows.

Modernize Medicare Payment Policies – The bill would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to update billing rules annually to take into account the rapidly evolving practice of medicine and technology.

Facilitate Long-Term Care Facility Capital Improvements – Congress would establish a statutory 15-year depreciation schedule for long-term care facility improvement and modernizations.

Invest in Long-Term Care Facility Health Information Technology – The bill would establish a 20 percent credit for investment in long-term care facilities’ health information technology, including computers, related equipment and software to enhance the delivery of quality long-term care.

Alleviate the Work force Shortage – The bill would amend the Nurse Reinvestment Act to permanently remove the exclusion on loan repayment for nurses working in for-profit health care settings, and set-aside funds to create a national nursing database to forecast future supply and demand changes.

Improve Training of Surveyors, Providers, and Nurse Aides – The bill would create a demonstration project allowing states to jointly train surveyors and providers as changes are implemented regarding regulations, and to allow nursing facilities to resume their nurse aide training program when deficiencies that resulted in the prohibition of the training have been corrected and compliance demonstrated.

As Congress moves forward on the health care policy front, we urge our federal lawmakers to support this groundbreaking legislation so we can ensure every resident of Maine, now and in the future, has ready access to the quality nursing home care to which they are entitled. On behalf of our state’s most vulnerable population of seniors, we thank Sen. Collins for the thought, effort and intelligent reasoning behind this important bill. It should be passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush as soon as possible.

Richard Erb is president and CEO of the Maine Health Care Association in Augusta. Bruce Yarwood is president and CEO of the American Health Care Association in Washington, D.C.