David B. Ferguson
As our nation debates healthcare reform, ABHOW is paying close attention because the outcome will affect those we serve -- older adults and their families. Seniors use healthcare services more than any other age group, and surveys show they are particularly concerned about possible changes to the present system.
For more than five years, ABHOW has been working with the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and like-minded state and national organizations to ensure that long-term care is included in any final legislation. When we began this work, the prevailing wisdom was that the country needed to address health care first, and only then turn to long-term care and services. Few citizens understood how long-term care differs from the acute care and healthcare services typically covered by private health insurance and Medicare.
AAHSA, an organization ABHOW helped start, has worked to improve consumer understanding about long-term care through public forums. Its research has compiled compelling evidence about the need to include long-term care financing in the current effort for reform.
AAHSA found that 250 million Americans lack long-term care insurance, yet almost every family will at some point have a relative or friend who needs this care. Currently, 10 million Americans -- most of them over age 65 -- need long-term services and support. Family caregivers often work multiple jobs and exhaust their savings to pay for their loved ones’ care, and businesses lose productivity when their employees’ energy is divided.
ABHOW has been working with AAHSA to make these points to political leaders on both sides of the aisle. In early March, for instance, ABHOW’s management team called U.S. senators and e-mailed representatives as part of a concerted effort to make sure they include long-term services and support in their health-reform proposals.
These efforts have made inroads. AAHSA has also developed a sustainable funding model for aging services through public insurance. Before his death, Sen. Edward Kennedy included elements of this model in his CLASS Act. Many other political leaders have also become convinced that long-term care financing reform will help ensure health security and financial security for families and taxpayers.
As leaders of different political persuasions struggle to find common ground on healthcare reform, ABHOW will continue to remind them of the importance of long-term care. After all, it’s our mission “to enhance the independence, well-being and security of older people.” We do this, in part, by advocating on behalf of our customers.
