ARE YOU INSPIRED TO CONTACT YOUR LOCAL, STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES?  CLICK ON THE URL BELOW TO FIND JUST THE OFFICE YOU NEED.  Suggestion: Add this address to your browser "Favorites".

Another suggestion:  As you form your opinions on legislative matters, check out the web sites of the management associations, PANPHA (Pennsylvania) and AAHSA (national).  Information on those sites can be valuable, especially if our members are seeking contacts for any advocacy positions.   While PARCR is an independent resident's alliance, the positions taken by the industry management are usually closely aligned.  (When they are not, PARCR will make any differences clear.)    Another valuable site is NaCCRA, the national resident's association, of which PARCR is a founding member- see the dedicated page above.  

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

POLITICS:  "Congress is so strange.  A man gets up to speak and says nothing.  Nobody listens, then everybody disagrees."- (Boris Marshalov)

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SUMMARIES   (SCROLL DOWN to see Detail for each "Topic" below):

TOPIC No. 1:  AAHSA's "ACTION ALERT" CONCERNING THERAPY CAPS- update of Dec. 13 2010 

TOPIC No. 2:   AAHSA's  Advocacy Agenda - CLASS Act, Adult Day Care Services, and other CCRC issues.

TOPIC No. 3:  AAHSA's "ACTION ALERT" regarding a freeze on Medicare reimbursement to nursing homes.

TOPIC No. 4:  PANPHA's "CENTER FOR INNOVATION"

TOPIC No. 5:   'FREEZE THIEVES OUT"

and last below, but not least - LATEST REPORT OF PARCR'S LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

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TOPIC No. 1:  AAHSA's "ACTION ALERT" CONCERNING THERAPY CAPS - update December 13, 2010

AAHSA update on Therapy Caps Exceptions/RUGs IV. We are checking off another item on our remaining legislative agenda, as the House and Senate have both passed H.R. 4994, which will extend the Medicare therapy caps exceptions process through 2011 and correct the RUGs IV effective date. The bill passed the House last week by a vote of 409-2. It is on its way to the White House and the congressional leadership expects it to be signed into law. The bill also prevents a cut in Medicare reimbursement to physicians for the coming year. This is important to us because reimbursement for Part B therapy is based on the physician fee schedule. Thank you all for your advocacy on this issue. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

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TOPIC No. 2:  AAHSA's Advocacy Agenda - CLASS Act, Adult Day Care Services, and other CCRC issues:

(See tab above, "HEALTH Mar 2010" for extensive special updates regarding 2010 federal legislation to this Topic) 

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The following is exerpted from a memo dated Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 from Sarah Mashburn of AAHSA to PARCR's Assistant Secretary and Legislative Committee member Julia Hix:

From: Sarah Mashburn <smashburn@aahsa.org>
To: juliahix1@yahoo.com
Sent: Fri, October 30, 2009 11:57:26 AM
Subject: Advocacy Materials from AAHSA

Hello Julia,

It was nice speaking with you this morning. I’ve included several resources that can help you get the latest on AAHSA’s advocacy agenda.

The first is the CLASS Act. Here’s a link to the question and answer fact sheet I mentioned:  http://www.aahsa.org/classact.aspx. There’s also an online letter you can send to your legislators:  http://www.capwiz.com/aahsa/issues/alert/?alertid=14042126&PROCESS=Take+Action.

I’ve also attached some information about the Adult Day Services bill I mentioned to you. Please urge your members to send the "dear colleague" letter to the following legislators:

Rep. Glenn Thompson Jr. (R-PA 5th District), Health LA, Matthew Brennan,  matthew.brennan@mail.house.gov

Rep. Jason Altmire, Health LA: Cara Toman,  cara.toman@mail.house.gov

Rep. Patrick Murphy, Health LA: Sara Schaumburg,  sara.schaumburg@mail.house.gov

Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA 3rd District), Ivana Alexander,  ivana.alexander@mail.house.gov

Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA 13th District), Health LA: Kelly Hall,   Kelly.hall@mail.house.gov

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA 14th District), Health LA: Kenneth DeGraff,   Kenneth.degraff@mail.house.gov

Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA 18th District), Health LA: Brad Grantz,   brad.grantz@mail.house.gov

Here is a link to our an e-mail you can send to your legislators about the bill too: http://aahsa.capwiz.com/aahsa/issues/alert/?alertid=13627971  

I hope you were able to connect with Steve Maag about the CCRC issues. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. 

Sarah Mashburn
Manager, Communications, AAHSA
2519 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008

Phone: (202) 508-9492         E-mail:  smashburn@aahsa.org

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TOPIC No. 3:  AAHSA's "ACTION ALERT" regarding Medicare Reimbursement Freeze:  

Medicare: Payment Cuts Proposed in 2010
Tell Legislators: NO

June 15, 2009: President Obama called for a freeze on Medicare payment rates for skilled nursing facilities in 2010 in addition to the home health care payment freeze included in his earlier budget proposal.

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TOPIC No. 4  PANPHA's "Center for Innovation"


PANPHA recently announced at their Annual Conference in Hershey, PA a pilot program for the creation of a Center for Innovation.   Throughout PANPHA member communities, there are a number of innovative programs occurring – some widely publicized, others not.

PANPHA’s goal for the Center for Innovation is to elevate the expertise and innovation of PANPHA members by cross-pollinating outstanding programs and actions to improve care.

The Center will:
· Be a repository of best practices and innovations for the provision of senior services, including: culture change; technology; workforce/talent development; and job enhancement.

· Coordinate visits with PANPHA members to learn about and share best practices.

· Develop and maintain information about innovation in senior services to include a website and an on-line community of practice or related list serves.

· Be a resource to PANPHA as the Association advocates to government and the public for the future of aging services for Pennsylvania.

In many ways, PANPHA’s Center for Innovation is a member driven project, relying on members to commit to sharing innovative practices and integrating new practices.

For more information about the PANPHA Center for Innovation and how you can contribute, please contact:

Ruth Bish
Kendal Outreach, LLC
Tel.: 610-335-1280
rbish@kendaloutreach.org -OR-

Janet Davis
Kendal Outreach, LLC
Tel.: 610-932-8002
jdavis@kendaloutreach.org
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TOPIC NO. 5:  "FREEZE THIEVES OUT"

(This topic was posted some time ago but is something every resident should consider current.)

"Freeze Thieves Out"

A new Pennsylvania state law gives consumers more control over their personal financial information in an effort to cut down on identify theft.  A law signed by Governor Edward Rendell in November 2006 allows consumers to place a freeze on their credit reports, preventing unauthorized access to the information.

Pennsylvanians can request a security freeze by certified mail or online and can lift the freeze - for example, when they want to apply for credit - by using a personal identification number or PIN.

Each of the three major credit reporting agencies can charge up to a $10 fee to place or lift a freeze, but consumers age 65 and older are exempt.

More than half of all states now have security freeze laws on the books. To learn more about Pennsylvania's law - and how to contact credit reporting agencies - go to www.aarp.org/pa.

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Special Report to PARCR Executive Committee March 8, 2010:

March 8, 2010 Legislative Report

Federal

On March 3, President Obama signed a bill extending exceptions to therapy caps, retroactive to January 1 and through March 31, 2010. Longer term provisions, possibly extending exceptions for two years, are part of the health care reform bills.

PANPHA and AAHSA lobbying in late February concentrated on four other issues as well.

These are 1) increased funding for Medicare and Medicaid, especially necessary because of the strain recession has placed on state budgets and because increased federal Medicaid matching funds under the stimulus bill expire on December 31, 2010;  (2) providing financial support for training the nurses and health care administrators who will be needed to staff long term care facilities; (3) revise the five-star rating system and develop better processes for surveying and certification of nursing homes;  (4) and require administrative review or amendment of a DEA action requiring that long term care pharmacies have a written, signed prescription from a physician for any controlled substance issued to a patient, instead of relying upon customary chart orders.

Nick Luciano has given me AAHSA Issue Briefs on these rather complex issues which I can share with anyone interested.

Pennsylvania

On March 5, Representative Dwight Evans introduced a series of budget bills in the House, but these do no more than establish numbers for the bills that will begin the legislative process for the fiscal year July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 state appropriations. Although the legislature is in session, day after day passes with no action in either branch. The Governor's budget speech gave little specific information about programs of interest to us; however, we should be aware that there may be a Medicaid reimbursement crisis for long term care facilities next year if there is inadequate federal funding to supplement state appropriations.

There is no news about the status of the Assisted Living regulations.

Advocacy

We still need to get representatives from several member communities.  I have tried to limit our advocacy requests to noncontroversial topics in this highly politicized period of debate over health care reform.  Material on gaining exceptions to Medicare therapy caps, or eliminating the caps, was distributed and I believe we had a good response.   On March 9th AASHA is sponsoring a call-in day for passage of provisions in health care reform bills; specifically, 1) the CLASS (long term care insurance) program; 2) Medicare payment schedules; and 3) Medicaid appropriations.  (At the direction of the Executive Committee, member community advocates were notified Mar. 8th and the PARCR web site updated to provide information and links to aid in communicating with legislators.)

Sarah Hughes, PARCR Legislative Committee Chair

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