State and National Long Term Care Leaders Hold News Teleconference to Warn Proposed State Medicaid Cuts Imperil Texas' Most Vulnerable Seniors, Risk Local Care Jobs

Growing Squeeze on Texas Seniors' Care Needs Merits Discussion as 2010 Campaign Unfolds

AUSTIN, Texas, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With vulnerable seniors' care and key front line care jobs placed in jeopardy by the threat of new state Medicaid cuts and the possibility of still more Medicare cuts in Washington following passage of federal health care reform, Tim Graves, President of the Texas Health Care Association (THCA) and Bruce Yarwood, President/CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in Washington, D.C. will conduct a media teleconference on Thursday, March 25th at 1:00 p.m. CDT, 2:00 p.m. EDT to discuss the worsening squeeze on the cumulative funding facilities across Texas and the need to ensure the ongoing provision of quality care.

With a recent analysis of the Texas Medicaid program finding it underfunded the actual cost of providing quality nursing home care by $271 million in 2009, Graves and Yarwood will explain how Medicare is increasingly being forced to prop-up Texas' Medicaid program -- thus making it urgent for the state congressional delegation to protect Medicare from additional funding reductions. In 2009, Texas seniors' Medicare-funded nursing home care was cut by $725 million over ten years.

"With sixty percent of facility costs related to staffing, disruption to facilities' economic stability caused by the worsening Medicare funding squeeze from Washington and the looming threat of new Medicaid cuts in Austin merits significant discussion," warned Graves.

The new round of Medicaid cuts being considered by Austin policymakers places state seniors' ongoing care needs in jeopardy, and risks putting key facility job stability at risk, Graves continued. "Adequate, stable and consistent Medicaid and Medicare funding is essential to protecting high care quality and staffing stability -- and we intend to ensure our state and federal lawmakers hear this vital message."  

Who: Bruce Yarwood, President & CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) will give a national overview of the more than $26 billion in Medicare cuts to the long term care sector in the last year as well as chronic Medicaid underfunding for long term care providers cited in the AHCA Eljay analysis.

Tim Graves, President & CEO of the Texas Health Care Association will speak to the challenges faced by Texas long term care providers given the state's already underfunded Medicaid program and the prospect of further cuts in the upcoming state legislative session.

Wayne Culp, Licensed Nursing Facility Administrator, Park Manor, Houston, TX, will provide the frontline care perspective and address the potential impact of Medicaid funding cuts to providers caring for Texas' most vulnerable seniors.

When: Thursday, March 25, 2010

1:00 p.m. CDT   2:00 p.m. EDT

REPORTERS RESERVE SPACE BY CALLING #: (866) 961-5938 ask for Medicaid Underfunding to Texas Nursing Homes

Media contact: Rebecca Reid, (410) 212-3843 or [email protected].

SOURCE Texas Health Care Association