As Congress gets ready to examine ways to reduce the federal deficit, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (AQHNC) are launching a nationwide television campaign to prevent more medicare and medicaid cuts.
The groups say that previous cuts have already impacted the ability of providers to stay fully staffed and provide quality care.
“Our nation’s long term and post-acute care facilities have already been dealt rounds of reductions, and now further cuts to Medicare and Medicaid may be on the way,” said Mark Parkinson, President & CEO of AHCA. “This nationwide campaign aims to inform our lawmakers that additional cuts to skilled nursing and assisted living threaten access to quality care needed by America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities. It will also demonstrate that our sector is part of the solution to both rising health care costs and the need for local job creation.”
Set to run through Sept. 6, the ads will be seen in eight states: Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia, Washington, and Florida.
The industry has been up in arms after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it was cutting medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities by 11.1% starting October 1, 2011.
A report funded by funded by AQHNC found that the CMS cuts will reduce Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities by $79 billion over 10 years and slash economic activity by $6.75 billion in FY 2012.
For more information, visit Carenotcuts.org.
