Eric Carlson

Assisted living should be subject to more government oversight and regulation, at least one consumer group is expected to recommend this afternoon at a Senate Special Committee on Aging roundtable.

It is current common practice that assisted living facilities can kick out or refuse to admit Medicaid-eligible residents even though the facilities themselves are approved to participate in Medicaid, according to comments released in advance of the hearing by Eric Carlson, directing attorney at the National Senior Citizens Law Center.

Carlson says that, lacking federal oversight, states have adopted widely varying laws governing assisted living facilities. Assisted living facilities that accept Medicaid funding should be held as accountable as other healthcare providers at both the federal and state levels, he adds.

“Assisted Living at the Dawn of America’s ‘Age Wave’: What Have States Achieved and How is the Federal Role Evolving?” is the title of today’s discussion, which is not a formal hearing, organizers emphasize. Representatives of various consumer and caregiver groups, as well as other interested stakeholders, are among the 18 speakers expected to take part. The event is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington.