Long Term Care Organizations Praise Representatives’ Support For Eliminating Part D Co-Pays for Dual Eligibles in Assisted Living Residences
The Medicare Part D Home and Community Services Copayment Equity Act of 2008 will provide parity for the poor and elderly in all care setting
Contact:
Lisa Gelhaus, (202) 898-2825
For Immediate Release
May 9, 2008
Washington, D.C. – The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) and the American Health Care Association (AHCA) today praised Reps. Nancy Boyda (D-KS), Michael Michaud (D-ME), Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), and Mark Souder (R-IN) for becoming cosponsors of the Medicare Part D Home and Community Services Copayment Equity Act of 2008 (HR 5604). This legislation would provide dual eligibles—those covered by both Medicare and Medicaid—living in our nation’s assisted living residences and other home- and community-based settings (HCBS) the same co-pay coverage under Medicare Part D as those residing in nursing facilities.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and a bipartisan group of cosponsors introduced HR 5604 in March 2008. To date, the bill has attracted 22 cosponsors.
“We thank Reps. Boyda, Michaud, Musgrave, and Souder for cosponsoring the bill and giving their support to an issue that is critically important to assisted living’s low-income, elderly, and frail beneficiaries,” said David Kyllo, executive director of NCAL. “Our residents require the same number of medications as nursing facility residents. Yet this group of low-income assisted living residents is often unable to afford their copayments and therefore may be denied access to these crucial medicines.”
Dual eligible assisted living residents on average take eight to ten medications. With Part D drug copayments ranging from one to more than five dollars, their expenditures can quickly add up and exceed the resident’s monthly personal allowance under Medicaid.
“Assisted living providers are concerned about the quality of life of their dual eligible residents,” stated Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of AHCA. “The passage of the Medicare Part D Home and Community Services Copayment Equity Act of 2008 (HR 5604) would ensure that residents receive their needed medications.”
NCAL organized a coalition of more than 35 national organizations representing consumers, geriatric care professionals, health care and long term care providers, pharmacists, and state officials to work together to remedy this gap in prescription coverage for low-income seniors.
However, though more states are opting to use Medicaid to cover assisted living services, a new federal government report shows that the Medicaid population in assisted living facilities declined somewhat from 2004 to 2007. According to Kyllo, a variety of federal and state policies could be playing a role in the decline, including the Part D copayment requirement and Medicaid reimbursement rates and policies.
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The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) represents nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to 1.5 million of our nation’s frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org.