Nearly 700 nursing home provider representatives will be urging federal lawmakers to take action on Medicare Advantage reform and other top policy priorities for the sector.
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) kicks off its Congressional Briefing event on Monday. The most important endeavor for members is to share their local stories.
Lawmakers are most interested in hearing directly from providers about the work they’re doing in their own communities – personal accounts build credibility and provide Congress with context before discussing specific legislative requests, Clif Porter, CEO of AHCA/NCAL, told Skilled Nursing News.
“That local perspective is really what members of Congress want to hear, and more importantly, it helps us build some credibility at a local level around the work that we do,” Porter said. “We’re asking our members to be specific about what’s going on at their centers as it relates to what improvements they’ve seen. We’ve got a fairly broad agenda, but we’re excited about having the opportunity to get there and tell our story.”
Nearly 700 AHCA members from across the country will be in Washington, D.C. the week of June 8 – that’s record attendance in recent years, Porter said, and demonstrates that providers recognize the importance of advocacy.
More specifically, providers will focus on Medicare Advantage reform, supporting the Medicare Advantage Improvement Act that is focused on addressing barriers beneficiaries face when accessing care. The goal here is to make the system more user-friendly, Porter said, while ensuring timely care and reimbursement, and reduced administrative burdens.
“Having a fight with an insurance company over benefits at 90 years old is probably not the fairest thing to do, so it’s really just making things more simple for beneficiaries, so that they can get the care that they’ve earned and deserve,” said Porter.
He expressed optimism about the legislation, which has support from lawmakers across the political spectrum in both the House and Senate. It’s backed by policymakers with differing ideological viewpoints.
Workforce legislation has the same bipartisan support, Porter said.
One workforce-related proposal allows facilities to expand training opportunities for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in their own centers to help address ongoing staffing shortages.
May’s job report showed the nursing home sector lost 100 jobs during the month and remains below pre-pandemic staffing levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But Porter said it’s a small loss in the grand scheme of things, with the workforce slowly getting back to where it needs to be.
“The trend is our friend, and it’s moving aggressively in the right direction,” said Porter. “We still have a long way to go, though.”
Broad agreement across the aisle means the association’s viewpoints are resonating with Congress and there’s a realistic opportunity to move such initiatives forward.
“It’s impossible to predict exactly how the congressional calendar is going to play out, what’s actually going to move and what the opportunities will be on a macro level. But what I am optimistic about is the overwhelming support that we have on the issues that we’re elevating,” said Porter.
Overall, the association’s Congressional Briefing will aim to advance solutions instead of highlighting problems, Porter said. Lawmakers will be presented with concrete policy proposals that benefit providers and beneficiaries, he said.
“I’m really proud that our members see value in engaging on these issues in Washington. We’re advancing solutions for our beneficiaries around Medicare Advantage, solutions for the patients we serve, around the caregiving workforce,” said Porter. “We’re laser focused on not just complaining about the way things are, the way things should be, but actually offering solutions.”
Companies featured in this article:
AHCA/NCAL, American Health Care Association, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS
