I am deeply concerned that the American public, especially our nation’s elders, will be relying on our government to present long term care solutions they will under no circumstances see. They’ll only see the “smoke and mirrors” of Overall health Care Reform.
Our nation’s seniors are the most vulnerable segment of the U.S. population vulnerable each wellness wise and financially. They are silently discovering the savings they thought would be sufficient is not enough. They are silently fearful of operating out of funds with no a single to care for them as they develop into much more frail. The silence is about to turn out to be deafening.
Regrettably, when choosing a first aid course announced New Extended Term Care Services, it discouraged numerous American’s from purchasing Long Term Care Insurance.
The New York Times reported on ‘Options Expand for Economical Extended-Term Care’ THE NEW OLD AGE. The Associated Press announced ‘New Well being Care Law Has Rewards for Seniors’. Point getting, the casual reader was relieved to hear their government will “take care of them” when they will need long term care solutions. We now know that is not about to happen.
Luckily our representatives in Washington found that Health Care Reforms answer to the issue of Long Term Care, “CLASS”, (Community Living Assistance Solutions and Supports Act) legislation would have been fiscally unsound. $70 billion in premiums that was anticipated to be raised for the new “long term care” system would have been counted as “deficit reduction”. The lengthy term care rewards it was intended to finance had been assumed not to materialize in the 1st 10 years. However, that revenue was not accounted for anywhere in the legislation.
The new legislation proposed to “trim” $463 billion from Medicare. But Medicare is at present having difficulty balancing its books now. Yet, why does the well being care bill inform us Medicare can operate additional cheaply going forward devoid of the accompanying reforms?
Our national media gave massive fanfare to the CLASS ACT when it passed. Regrettably the media has provided the CLASS ACT’s demise tiny consideration. Now what?
Projections show that the federal deficit is anticipated to exceed $700 billion annually more than the next decade. This essentially will double the national and $900 billion represents interest on prior debt. Would the CFO of any big corporation in the United States enable the enterprise he worked for to finish up in this sort of financial position? Certainly not.
Our officials in Congress have been elected to shield the ideal interests of the American individuals. “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”, and once once more printing extra currency, has develop into our government’s mantra for the future. However the magnitude of the mismanagement of America’s purse strings has now reached an unconscionable state.
The United States of America can not continue to mismanage its financial future. Future Congresses will have to provide a multitude of future reforms and, regrettably, history tells us THAT will in no way occur. Proposals for financing overall health reform were primarily based on extra “smoke and mirrors”. The “Cadillac” tax is scheduled to commence in 2018.
The well being care legislation that has been forced on each and every a single of us is identified to be fiscally unsound. Exactly where do we go from here? It is too effortless to point the finger at the President and his administration. However Congress owns the duty of passing Well being Care Legislation. And THAT is the difficulty.
The 535 voting members of Congress shared the responsibility equally. If one clear considering, intelligent, honorable Congressman had the entire duty for Wellness Care Reform, he or she would not have forced a fiscally unsound Well being Care Reform Bill down our throats.
Now let’s once again evaluate how Overall health Care Reform will function against our senior citizens.
A most recent government report identified that in 2000 there had been 1.eight million out there nursing home beds. As the year 2010 came to a close, there have been 1.7 million nursing residence beds a net five percent reduction in available beds. And, there are no new nursing houses becoming built.
These days there is less than 1.five million Americans confined to nursing homes. Reportedly ten percent of these nursing homes are operating beneath bankruptcy protection. It is effectively identified that most of these facilities are understaffed and numerous do not have competent help.
Subsequent, let’s take into consideration that the Alzheimer’s Association tells us the likelihood of establishing Alzheimer’s just after age 85 is 50 percent. By 2030, they tell us that the quantity of people today age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to attain 7.7 million, a 50 % improve from the five.two million age 65 and older currently impacted.
The logical question I will have to ask is “if we can not take sufficient care of 1.5 million people today right now, how can we possibly take care of 7.7 million people in 2030?” We can’t. Additional basically place, when you or your spouse or your parent has Alzheimer’s, there is no place for them to go. Not to be cruel, but if you ever believe for a moment about taking in an aged parent with Alzheimer’s into your home, please consider again. Ask any caregiver who’s been by means of it. It really is Assured to destroy any families’ peace of thoughts and harmony.
Why are not our political leaders actively functioning on solutions? Where’s the outcry? Regrettably our political leaders only align themselves with solvable problems.
America’s seniors became additional hopeful reading that Wellness Reform will enable them with added Lengthy Term Care services. And we now know THAT is not going to occur. There are no plans in spot to aid our nation’s seniors believe they will acquire the comfort and dignity of sufficient extended term care solutions. What’s worse is the silence shared by all our political leaders. The silence is now deafening.