AQNHC on President Obama, Speaker Boehner Fiscal Cliff Remarks: With $65 Billion SNF Medicare Cuts in Place, Time to Move Beyond 'Just Trying to Whack Reimbursement Rates'

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care President, Alan G. Rosenbloom, commenting on remarks today from President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner regarding the "fiscal cliff" and pending sequestration -- now less than two months away:

"We are pleased to see President Obama and Speaker Boehner move so swiftly today to elevate the pending 'fiscal cliff' and sequestration issue to the policy forefront because finally pursuing bigger-picture, systemic reforms that reduce costs, improve efficiency and optimize care quality are a necessity, not an option, now that the election is over.

"Yet, due to the fact nearly $4 billion in skilled nursing facility (SNF) Medicare cuts will go into effect on January 1, 2013 -- and because $65 billion in cumulative SNF funding reductions over ten years are already in place -- we wholeheartedly concur with Gail Wilensky's observation earlier this week that 'Just trying to whack reimbursement rates does not work over the long term -- it never has'. (Data Source: Avalere; Wilensky quote from Politico 11/7/12)

"As entitlement reform and seniors' nursing home funding was a higher profile issue in the 2012 election than in past years, we intend to work constructively with the Administration and with Congress to implement policies beyond just more cuts to Medicare and Medicaid -- which has seemingly become the default governmental policy in regard to SNFs and their patients."