Obama opens the door for drastic new Medicare, Medicaid cuts for nursing homes

When you think about it, long-term care is really a thorny issue—particularly the financing side of it. As Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security resources dwindle, and more people grow older and live longer, figuring out how to pay for eldercare is a monumental challenge.

Perhaps that is why presidential finalists Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL) have been dodging the topic of long-term care reform like the one-two punches they have been throwing at each other on a near-daily basis.

“I think there are obviously a lot of unknowns with both candidates,” said Robert Kramer, president of the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry (NIC). “The only one who talked about it during the primary season was Hillary [Clinton].”

But if the candidates are loath to address long-term care or payment issues  during their runs for the highest office, provider advocates will be glad to remind them come January. The top provider goals? To inject long-term care, including post-acute care, into a general discussion of healthcare reform; and to start a dialogue about
a new payment system. The associations can’t wait.