Katie Sloan, LeadingAge

LeadingAge joined 71 other non-profit aging organizations this week in urging President-elect Donald Trump to retain nursing home quality standards within the Affordable Care Act.

Trump has urged Congress to “repeal and replace” the law. In the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations’ Jan. 10 letter the groups, including LeadingAge and the Center for Medicare Advocacy, highlight 12 aging-related provisions of the ACA that “have broad support and should remain intact.”

These are:

  • Improving nursing home quality standards
  • Combating elder abuse and neglect
  • Reducing seniors’ falls and managing chronic disease under the Prevention and Public Health Fund
  • Extending the solvency of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund
  • Testing new financing and delivery models under the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation
  • Implementing successful demonstration programs on Medicare-Medicaid integration under the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office
  • Providing Medicare coverage for preventative services, including an annual wellness visit
  • Closing the Medicare prescription drug coverage “doughnut hole”
  • Improving and expanding access to home care services
  • Enhancing the quality and affordability of Medicare Advantage
  • Providing incentives for states to expand Medicaid eligibility
  • Making premiums more affordable for adults aged 55 to 64 who reply on Marketplace coverage

LeadingAge President and LCAO Chairwoman Katie Smith Sloan added comments detailing how repealing the ACA could cause disruption in care for seniors.

“While LCAO is made up of organizations that often have different perspectives on public policies, these recommendations represent the common ground among our organizations,” Sloan wrote. “If changes to the ACA affecting older Americans are considered, we respectfully request that you engage and work with LCAO and its member organizations to ensure that the needs of America’s seniors are met.”

Trump said this week the ACA would be “simultaneously” repealed and replaced upon Rep. Tom Price’s (R-GA) approval as Department of Health and Human Services Secretary. Price’s confirmation hearing is tentatively slated for Jan. 18.