The Smoke and Mirrors of Overall health Care Reform for the Elderly

I am deeply concerned that the American public, specifically our nation’s elders, will be relying on our government to deliver lengthy term care services they will in no way see. They’ll only see the “smoke and mirrors” of Overall health Care Reform.

Our nation’s seniors are the most vulnerable segment of the U.S. population vulnerable both well being sensible and financially. They are silently discovering the savings they thought would be sufficient is not adequate. They’re silently fearful of running out of money with no one to care for them as they become far more frail. The silence is about to turn into deafening.

Regrettably, when Best urethral warts announced New Long Term Care Solutions, it discouraged quite a few American’s from buying Lengthy Term Care Insurance.

The New York Times reported on ‘Options Expand for Economical Lengthy-Term Care’ THE NEW OLD AGE. The Related Press announced ‘New Health Care Law Has Positive aspects for Seniors’. Point becoming, the casual reader was relieved to hear their government will “take care of them” when they have to have long term care solutions. We now know that is not about to occur.

Fortunately our representatives in Washington found that Overall health Care Reforms answer to the trouble of Long Term Care, “CLASS”, (Neighborhood Living Assistance Solutions and Supports Act) legislation would have been fiscally unsound. $70 billion in premiums that was anticipated to be raised for the new “long term care” program would have been counted as “deficit reduction”. The extended term care added benefits it was intended to finance had been assumed not to materialize in the first 10 years. Nevertheless, that funds was not accounted for anyplace in the legislation.

The new legislation proposed to “trim” $463 billion from Medicare. However Medicare is presently obtaining problems balancing its books currently. But, why does the health care bill inform us Medicare can operate far more cheaply going forward without the accompanying reforms?

Our national media gave huge fanfare to the CLASS ACT when it passed. Regrettably the media has provided the CLASS ACT’s demise tiny interest. Now what?

Projections show that the federal deficit is expected to exceed $700 billion annually more than the next decade. This basically will double the national and $900 billion represents interest on preceding debt. Would the CFO of any main corporation in the United States enable the business he worked for to end up in this sort of monetary position? Completely not.

Our officials in Congress have been elected to protect the ideal interests of the American men and women. “Robbing Peter to spend Paul”, and once once again printing far more currency, has turn into our government’s mantra for the future. Yet the magnitude of the mismanagement of America’s purse strings has now reached an unconscionable state.

The United States of America cannot continue to mismanage its financial future. Future Congresses will have to deliver a multitude of future reforms and, regrettably, history tells us THAT will never come about. Proposals for financing overall health reform were primarily based on extra “smoke and mirrors”. The “Cadillac” tax is scheduled to begin in 2018.

The overall health care legislation that has been forced on each and every single 1 of us is identified to be fiscally unsound. Exactly where do we go from right here? It is as well straightforward to point the finger at the President and his administration. But Congress owns the responsibility of passing Well being Care Legislation. And THAT is the challenge.

The 535 voting members of Congress shared the responsibility equally. If one clear thinking, intelligent, honorable Congressman had the complete responsibility for Overall health Care Reform, he or she would not have forced a fiscally unsound Overall health Care Reform Bill down our throats.

Now let’s again evaluate how Wellness Care Reform will perform against our senior citizens.

A most recent government report identified that in 2000 there were 1.8 million obtainable nursing property beds. As the year 2010 came to a close, there had been 1.7 million nursing household beds a net five percent reduction in readily available beds. And, there are no new nursing homes getting constructed.

Today there is less than 1.five million Americans confined to nursing houses. Reportedly ten % of these nursing properties are operating below bankruptcy protection. It really is well recognized that most of these facilities are understaffed and many never have competent enable.

Next, let’s consider that the Alzheimer’s Association tells us the likelihood of creating Alzheimer’s right after age 85 is 50 %. By 2030, they inform us that the quantity of persons age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to reach 7.7 million, a 50 % increase from the 5.two million age 65 and older presently impacted.

The logical query I will have to ask is “if we can not take sufficient care of 1.five million folks now, how can we possibly take care of 7.7 million people today in 2030?” We can not. Extra merely place, when you or your spouse or your parent has Alzheimer’s, there is no place for them to go. Not to be cruel, but if you ever believe for a moment about taking in an aged parent with Alzheimer’s into your residence, please believe again. Ask any caregiver who’s been via it. It is Assured to destroy any families’ peace of thoughts and harmony.

Why aren’t our political leaders actively working on solutions? Where’s the outcry? Regrettably our political leaders only align themselves with solvable problems.

America’s seniors became far more hopeful reading that Overall health Reform will help them with added Extended Term Care solutions. And we now know THAT is not going to happen. There are no plans in place to help our nation’s seniors consider they’ll receive the comfort and dignity of adequate lengthy term care solutions. What’s worse is the silence shared by all our political leaders. The silence is now deafening.