Week in Review: September 4, 2009
We at Basic American Medical would like to bring to you a round-up of some of the most interesting news in long-term care this week from AHCA/NCAL Gazette.
| Obama Aides Aim to Simplify and Scale Back Health Bills | |
| New York Times | |
| Author: By Robert Pear and Jackie Calmes | |
| Article Date: 9/3/2009 | |
| The White House is in the process of debating ways to modify and scale back the Democrats’ proposed health care bill with plans of removing any nonessential components. Meantime, President Obama will be drumming up support for health care reform by addressing joint sessions of Congress next week. Areas of apparent concurrence are the need to regulate the health insurance industry and the need for ways to make health coverage available to more low-income Americans. In order to reach bi-partisan consensus, it may be necessary to scale back on the number of reforms to be initially implemented. While Democrats may be disappointed, a less strenuous bill would have a lower price tag. | |
| CMS remains positive about Five-Star rating system despite criticism from attorneys general | |
| McKnight’s Long-Term Care & AssistedLiving | |
| Article Date: 9/3/2009 | |
| In response to a letter put together by 31 state attorneys general asking for revisions to the CMS’ five-Star Quality Rating System, the CMS released a statement saying in part that the system is “a valuable resource to consumers who are making decisions about their care.” The CMS stands by the current rating system, saying that the input of nursing homes was taken into consideration when the system was created. | |
| Illinois working to get people to stop flushing medications | |
| Murphysboro American | |
| Author: By Adriana Colindres, GateHouse News Service | |
| Article Date: 9/2/2009 | |
| With antibiotics and a multitude of other medications now detectable in the ground water and drinking water, Illinois is launching a campaign to encourage people to use more eco-friendly methods of disposing medications. A new law will go into effect on January 1 that will make it illegal for any health care facility to dump unused drugs into wastewater systems. The general public is also being alerted to the dangers of such dumping with public service announcements airing on the radio. | |
| State/Province: Illinois | |
| In Settlement, A Warning To Drugmakers | |
| Washington Post | |
| Author: By Carrie Johnson | |
| Article Date: 9/3/2009 | |
| Pharmaceutical companies are being warned by the U.S. government that health care fraud and improper marketing practices will not go unpunished. Recently a record $2.3 billion settlement was reached with Pfizer over allegations the company utilized a number of unethical practices to market its pain relief drug, Bextra, and promoted higher dosages and broader uses of the drug than those that were FDA approved. | |
| Vigil Honors Health Care ‘Victims’ | |
| WPXI.com, Pittsburgh | |
| Article Date: 9/3/2009 | |
| About 150 people attended a rally organized by a group calling themselves R.E.A.L. The acronym stands for: Ready right away, part of a plan to cover Everyone, Accountable to the public, Large enough to contain costs. Sandy Fox, president of the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Single Payer Health Care, attended the rally and was noted as saying, “This is a life and death issue we’re talking about. It takes the lives of people when we don’t have a health care system that protects all of its people. People are dying because they can’t get health care and people are going bankrupt because they can’t afford their co-pays. That’s a terrible choice to offer us, I think we deserve better than that, all of us.” | |
| Organized labor recruits in-home caregivers | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Author: By Lisa Black | |
| Article Date: 9/3/2009 | |
| In an attempt to increase membership, union representatives are now wooing individuals who receive state funding for caring for someone with a disability at home. In June, Gov. Pat Quinn signed an executive order allowing “individual providers of home-based support services,” collective bargaining rights, making these individuals eligible to join unions. | |
| Northumberland County sells nursing home for $16.5M | |
| The Daily Item | |
| Author: By Wayne Laepple | |
| Article Date: 9/2/2009 | |
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Northumberland County has worked out a deal to sell the Mountain View Manor skilled nursing facility to Complete HealthCare Resources for $16.5 million. This arrangement will lower taxes for the community and the proceeds will help pay some of the county’s long-term debt. Complete HealthCare Resources owns facilities in 12 other counties in Pennsylvania and owns or manages facilities in a number of other states. Buyer owns nursing homes in 12 counties http://www.dailyitem.com/0100_news/local_story_244231931.html |
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| State/Province: Pennsylvania | |
| County nursing homes provide safety net | |
| Albany Times Union | |
| Author: Renee’ Barchitta, ACNH Core Family Council | |
| Article Date: 9/3/2009 | |
| In this letter to the editor, Renee Barchitta expresses why she believes County skilled nursing facilities are important to Albany County as a resource for low-income senior citizens. Barchitta feels that these county facilities represent money well spent for the community and for the individuals they serve. Barchitta also explains that the three-tiered system suggested in an article written by Dr. Patrick Timmins would allow certain seniors to fall through the cracks | |
| Elderly, disabled to have it all at home in Reedsburg Author: By Tim Damos
News Republic Article Date: 9/3/2009
Instead of stopping after the completion of a new skilled nursing facility in Sauk County, Wisconsin, county officials will be drawing up plans to create an entire campus catering to the multifaceted needs of the aging. Sauk County supervisor Linda Borleske explains, “We decided it wasn’t going to be just a skilled nursing facility. That was just phase one. We needed enough land to be able to provide other services the elderly might need.” |
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| State/Province: Wisconsin | |
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