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Pre-Debate look at the Bloomberg/Washington Post
Debate Stage (October 11, 2011
As the race to White House continues, AHCA is in the front
seat following the candidates, the political conversations, and the changing
future of the long term care profession. Last night, AHCA was on scene at the
New Hampshire Presidential Primary debate in Hanover, NH. AHCA and the New
Hampshire Health Care Association (NHHCA) were the lead local media sponsors of
WBIN, the regional television station that aired the debate throughout the New
Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts regions—regions that are ripe with
political action, independent thinkers, and voters who are concerned about the
future of long term care in this country.
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New Hampshire Health Care Association President &
CEO John Poirier in the Post-Debate Media Spin Room |
Prior to last night’s debate, NHHCA President John Poirier
last week posed difficult questions to the candidates through interviews with
the media, urging the candidates to consider how they would address issues such
as Medicare and Medicaid funding, the onslaught of baby boomers who are aged 65
and older and their multiplying health needs, and the protection of the jobs
and economic boost that the long term care sector provides. AHCA submitted several questions to the debate
moderators for consideration that focused primarily on those matters closest to
the core of the long term care profession.
On the topics of Medicare and Medicaid, Governor Perry
stated last night that he supports a Medicaid block grant program—a program
that AHCA has always found inadequate to fully serve the people dependent upon
Medicaid for care. Proposals that convert the Medicaid entitlement into a block
grant tend to eliminate the current formula under which states receive federal
dollars based on a set percentage of incurred costs. Instead, block grants
provide a fixed dollar amount each year that is based on an arbitrary baseline,
which does not take need into account.
AHCA will continue to fight on the behalf of its members and
those frail, elderly, and disabled individuals who rely on the programs for
continued health care. Every eight
minutes, an American turns 65. And as these individuals age, more than 1.5
million turn to Medicare and Medicaid for care every single day—and these
people need not only to be heard, but to be continually involved in the
political conversations that determine the future of their access to quality
health care.
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Former Senator Rick Santorum in the
post-debate media spin room |
The majority of last night’s debate was focused on jobs and
the economy, a topic that will continue to be of particular concern to AHCA, as
the long term care industry is the nation’s 10th largest employer
and contributes 3.1 million American jobs. In 2010, as the nation continued to
slide into unemployment frustration and a dreary economic forecast, the long
term care industry provided 63,000 new jobs—jobs that helped Americans provide
for their families, continue to support their communities, and secure their
health care today and for the future. As candidates continue to consider jobs
plans and a strategy for economic gains and a full recovery, AHCA will continue
to promote the position of this sector as a lynchpin of a successful plan. A
secure economy requires industries and professions that are secure, that
provide successful, fulfilling jobs to Americans, and that are investing in
future growth.
As the race to the presidency progresses, AHCA will continue
to provide its members and the long term care community the facts they need to
know about the issues that mean the most.
