|
How Come I Haven’t Heard Anything About This?
Mar
22
Written by:
3/22/2011 7:58 AM
The title of this story came from a conversation I had recently with a technology consultant. She had just found an assisted living site for her aunt—the sixth such placement for elderly relatives in the past three years. With heavy heart I noted that the current budget reduction proposals would remove many of these choices for seniors—especially those with limited means. We talked about the strained human services budget and potential implications of the budgetary proposals on the table. Her response was a bit surprising: “how come I haven’t heard anything about this?”
So, in spite of recent successes with media coverage on our issues, we haven’t reached the masses with our fears about the future of services for older adults. And, with the proposals coming from the legislature cutting hundreds of millions of dollars from nursing facilities and home and community-based services, those fears have a strong reality base.
While I have traditionally held a “glass half full” perspective when working in the political arena, it is so very hard to maintain a sense of optimism and belief that ultimately “good” will prevail in this budget struggle, when the sheer size of the reduction target is so great.
Would the spending reduction target for HHS be reduced from $1.6 billion to something less draconian if leadership just understood that lower income seniors will be essentially abandoned unless they have family willing to take them in? I hope so.
Will there be enough specific information provided to the general public in advance so they will know and understand what will happen when their parents/grandparents need some services and supports? Will this information include the fact that they will need to pay privately for services and NOT spenddown assets? I hope so.
It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that the general public doesn’t know or understand the implications of the budgetary reductions on the table. I looked to some recent messages from two “sides” of the political spectrum and realized that if this is the information source for folks, no wonder there exists a knowledge gap:
From the business community: Recently the state Chamber of Commerce sent out a message which included this quote, “Policy-makers can no longer ignore the changing demographics. We’ve heard the warnings since the mid-1990s, and the new dynamics are upon us. An aging population is demanding more public services. At the same time, a shrinking workforce is contributing fewer tax dollars to support these services.”
The demographic fact is exactly correct; however, I would correct the statement as follows: An aging population will require more public service, and as a state we have an obligation to make these services available to the frail elderly. The answer to the growing demographic is not to reduce levels of funding for needed services in order to match decreasing revenues. Rather, the answer is to make sure there is a full spectrum of services available to minimize use of the “high end” services; that we encourage businesses to hire seniors into their workforce; that we “match” the state investments with these demographics; and that we raise the revenues needed to sustain the human services infrastructure we will need.
From the labor unions: Yes, we know that most providers have not been able to give wage increases due to frozen rates; and we know that most have been decreasing benefits because of frozen rates and increases in fixed costs. Administrators certainly value their employees and feel terrible that with rate equalization of nursing home rates and frozen state payments there is no money “tree” to be tapped for wage increases. Yet even knowing that, several of the labor unions are taking some peculiar actions: First, they are taking a stand against the repeal of rate equalization—a perplexing position since the increases that could be generated from privately paying residents would be the only new money in our doors for years. Secondly, with several recent union negotiations, they are holding out for wage increases under threat of strike. Where would THIS money come from?
Hopefully, within the next few months, we will all take the responsibility to tell the story of the budget proposal implications to those outside of our professional circles…to people who right now assume that when their parent/grandparents need help (whether or not they have money), that all sorts of help will be available in their home communities.
Legislators need to hear from all sides, not just from providers, so hopefully by expanding our story circumference, we can make a difference.
Copyright ©2011 Patti
|
|