Easing Medicare’s Pain

Health care reform discussions will generate passion and headlines during this election season and into the new Congress next year. This presents another opportunity for our industry to emphasize the value and cost-effectiveness of home care in the health care system. There will be many moments to mention the vital, cost-effective role of home care during candidates’ debates and town hall meetings and on the opinion pages of local newspapers and Internet blogs.

The Medicare trustees claim in their most recent report that Medicare’s main source of funding, the Health Insurance Trust Fund, will be exhausted by 2019. The trustees recommend solutions to the coming funding crisis must include greater efficiencies and cost-containment measures.

Home care should be at the top of the list of steps to move Medicare toward greater efficiencies and cost containment.

American voters agree that home care is one of the solutions to the rising cost of health care. In a Harris Interactive telephone survey of 1,000 American adults conducted in December of 2007, three-quarters of voters said home care is part of the solution to the problem of rapidly increasing Medicare spending.

Furthermore, an overwhelming majority (78 percent) of American voters say they would vote for congressional candidates who would strengthen Medicare coverage for power wheelchairs, oxygen devices, hospital beds and other durable medical equipment and services used in the home.

Home care fits easily into both Democratic and Republican plans for reform. The Democrats’ health care platform states the party is “united around a commitment to provide every American access to affordable, comprehensive health care.” They advocate affordable health insurance through new group options and by expanding government programs like Medicaid. Strengthening cost-effective home care coverage is consistent with that direction.

During the Republican ABC-Facebook debate earlier this year, presidential candidate John McCain advocated for expanded home care, saying, “We need incentives for home health care as opposed to long-term care. In my state of Arizona, we adopted a proposal which incentivizes health care providers to keep people in home health care settings. It’s dramatically less expensive than long-term care.”

We should urge all candidates from both parties to include preservation of home care in their position papers. The potential architects of health care reform need to be reminded of the benefits of strengthening home care policy. We can make it easier for candidates to stand behind the merits of home care by providing them with sound research showing the cost-effective nature of home care.

While DME is the smallest and slowest-growing portion of Medicare, it is sometimes a convenient target for policymakers in Washington. Some believe Medicare prices for home medical equipment and services should be based on what a consumer would pay for the equipment alone if it were purchased on the Internet or at a discount store. But Medicare beneficiaries who require home medical devices, like oxygen concentrators, cannot simply order the equipment over the Internet, adjust it to the prescribed level and instruct themselves on proper use.

The American Association for Homecare continues its efforts to inform policymakers and consumer journalists about the value of home care. The expanding Stand Up for Homecare public awareness campaign is one part of that effort. The importance of home care is one that every family can understand and relate to. Four out of five Americans (82 percent) agree with the statement, “If I required medical services, I would prefer to receive it in my home if possible, rather than in a hospital or nursing home.”

By reminding policymakers about these key messages, we can help strengthen access to care for the millions of Americans who depend on home medical equipment and services. Home medical care and equipment will continue to be safe and cost-effective as long as policymakers remember that this type of care requires services and personal attention for seniors that you can’t get over the Internet.

Tyler J. Wilson is president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare, headquartered in Arlington, Va. He may be reached at [email protected]. For more information on critical home care issues, visit the association’s Web site at www.aahomecare.org.