Elder Law

Long-Term Care Provisions Still Present in White House Reform Bill

By Levin & Perconti

The new healthcare reform proposal contained a number of provisions that hold a significant interest in those concerned with long-term care professionals. The first is the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act which would seek to assess nursing home quality and provide consumer information about facilities. The Elder Justice Act is another part of the bill that will greatly help improve the life of seniors. Also there is a provision that would require nursing homes to provide more stringent background checks on potential caregivers contained in the bill. This has been labeled the Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act. The president?s proposal will futhermore include incentives for home-and community-based care programs that will expand the senior care workforce. Finally, the bill contains the CLASS Act which creates a payroll deduction system for long-term expenses. To learn more about the long-term care legislation, please check out the McKnight?s newsletter.

Currently there were problems between the GOP and the Democrats on many of the provisions of the health care bill. Republicans are trying to block many of the provisions that would help improve elder care. This is important legislation that must be passed in order to better patient safety. The NCCNHR has been working round the clock in order to ensure that this important legislation is passed. Currently, 51 votes are needed to pass the Senate. The attorneys at Levin & Perconti applaud the work of the NCCNHR and Sentor Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Their hard work has hopefully made this important legislation a reality. In order to aid their efforts, please contact your Senator and voice your support for long-term health care legislation.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on February 26, 2010 (boomark / email).