Annals of Long Term Care

In his watershed September 9 speech about healthcare reform, President Obama made a particular point of addressing older Americans and their concerns about reform. He assured them that disturbing rumors they’d been hearing—rumors that fueled angry outbursts and objections from constituents at Congressional town hall–style meetings the previous month—were groundless.

Among other things, the President’s speech, delivered to a joint session of Congress as this issue of Annals of Long-Term Care went to press, debunked allegations that a reform provision extending Medicare coverage to include voluntary end-of-life care discussions between beneficiaries and their healthcare providers would lead to government “death squads” euthanizing seniors. The President also rebutted claims that reforms would curtail seniors’ Medicare coverage. Proposed reforms, he explained, would cut waste and fraud in Medicare, but not coverage. They would also enhance Medicare coverage and cost-effectiveness, thereby helping to ensure the sustainability of the entitlement program.
In meetings between AGS leaders and key lawmakers and their staff, in letters, opinion pieces in local newspapers, and phone calls, and in grassroots advocacy campaigns and media outreach involving its members, AGS has continued to step up its advocacy efforts on behalf of healthcare reforms aimed at ensuring older adults access to quality, cost-effective care. It has also stepped up advocacy efforts in coalition with like-minded organizations. AGS and the Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA)—of which AGS Deputy Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Nancy Lundebjerg, MPH, and Steven Dawson, President of PHI, are elected co-conveners—met with and made more than 250 calls to lawmakers during the summer to advocate for reforms that would support quality elder healthcare.

The Alliance conducted a second “Hill Visit Day” on September 15 that brought some 50 advocates representing 50 organizations to the Capitol for constituent visits to key members of Congress. During those visits, participants advocated for retention of elements in healthcare reform that support the eldercare workforce.

Much remains to be done, but the good news is that we’re already seeing significant results from this work. The House and Senate reform bills and other recent Congressional legislation and administrative measures include key provisions and initiatives for which AGS has advocated. These include:

Provisions and initiatives to expand training in geriatrics for health professions faculty and professionals and others caring for older adults

The Senate HELP Committee’s reform plan includes important language that would: provide grants to Geriatric Education Centers (GECs) to expand training; extend eligibility for Geriatric Academic Career Awards (GACAs) to a wide range of healthcare professionals; support the development of curricula and best practices in geriatrics; establish federal traineeships for nurses pursuing advanced training in geriatrics and fund training opportunities for direct-care workers; and create a national center charged with ensuring an adequate healthcare workforce.

As this issue of Annals of Long-Term Care went to press, details of the Senate Finance Committee proposal had yet to be released. The initial outline for the plan, however, would increase the number of Graduate Medical Education (GME) training positions in primary care.