Long Term Care Hearing Today, Special Committee on Aging, USA
The hearing will be webcast under the "Hearings" section of the Aging Committee's website and available for viewing later at http://www.aging.senate.gov. Prepared witness testimony will be available on that website once the hearing begins. An audiocast of the hearing may also be available - during the hearing only - on the C-SPAN "hearings" website, located at http://www.capitolhearings.org.
Experts estimate that four out of ten people who reach the age of 65 will need long-term care at some point. Medicare covers nursing home costs for short stays, but for long stays, many seniors spend down to poverty levels in order to qualify for state-run Medicaid programs, resulting in a financial strain on state governments, which pay approximately 44 percent of all long-term care costs in the United States.
The National Governors Association, chaired by Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne, has made long-term care reform one its top priorities.
Chairman Craig and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana), a member of the Aging Committee, recently introduced ""The Long-Term Care Partnership Program Act of 2004"(S.2077). Their legislation would allow an individual to purchase a long-term care insurance policy approved by a state government, and in return, when benefits are exhausted, the state would cover the costs of continuing care through Medicaid without requiring the senior to spend down into poverty. For the individual, such "partnership policies" will allow seniors to protect their assets, and for states, the policies will help reign in skyrocketing Medicaid costs.
Panel I:
• Michael O'Grady, Assistant Secretary of Planning & Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
• Raymond Scheppach, Executive Director, National Governors Association, Washington, D.C.
Panel II:
• Mark Meiners, Ph.D., National Program Director, University of Maryland Center on Aging, College Park, MD
• Bob Bishop, Long-Term Care Partnership Insurance Consumer, Carmel, Indiana
• Kevin Corcoran, Executive Vice President, National Association of Health Underwriters, Arlington, Virginia
• Steve Chies, Chair, The American Health Care Association, Cambridge, Minnesota
• Melanie M. Bella, Assistant Secretary, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Indianapolis, Indiana
Contact: Jeff Schrade, jeff_schrade@aging.senate.gov
Tel: 202-224-8710
http://aging.senate.gov
De îngrijire pe termen lung, audierea de astãzi, Comisia de imbatranire speciale, SUA - Long Term Care Hearing Today, Special Committee on Aging, USA - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate