Medicare Cuts to Nursing Homes

Nearly half of voters view Medicare cuts to nursing homes as the least acceptable way to pay for healthcare reform, according to a recently released poll conducted by The American Health Care Association.

The poll also found that 66% of voters would be less likely to re-elect an official who voted in favor of Medicare cuts to nursing homes. A total of 78% of voters over the age of 65 feel that nursing home care for seniors would be worse if Medicare cuts were made. The poll posed the following question, among others: ‰ÛÏIf Congress cut $32 billion in Medicare payments to nursing homes to care for seniors, do you think the quality of care seniors receive in nursing homes would get better, stay about the same or get worse?‰Û

The saddest part about all of this is that long term care is being ignored in the reform discussions. With so much emphasis on aging in place it is almost as if people want to will assisted and nursing care out of existence. But look at the facts. We are 37th in the World Health Organization and plagued with chronic conditions in a nation that is growing fatter. If people don’t think we will need this type of care then they are frankly delusional.

Remember that might you or I in that facility one day. So speak up on behalf of many of our elderly that can not. Long term care needs to be reformed. Taking money away from it will not help that at all.