AARP Urgers Lawmakers To Act Quickly To Enact Moratorium On All 7 Regulations Proposed By The Center For Medicare & Medicaid Services

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Seniors / Aging
Article Date: 17 Jun 2008 - 14:00 PDT

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AARP today sent a letter to Congressional leaders and all House and Senate offices encouraging lawmakers to enact moratoria on all seven of the proposed regulations. Here is the letter:

Dear Leaders:

On behalf of AARP's nearly 40 million members, we urge you to act quickly to enact a moratorium on all seven regulations proposed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) which would severely cut federal Medicaid funding.

We support sound policies to address fraud, waste and abuse in this vital safety net program that one in six Americans rely on for health and long-term care. However, the regulations go far beyond reasonable program integrity goals and instead would shift costs for many legitimate and necessary services to states and individuals.

While the Administration says that these cuts total $15 billion over 5 years, state Medicaid directors estimate the impact to be nearly $50 billion over the same time period. Many states will be unable to cover this cost shift and may have little choice but to deny needed care to the most vulnerable among us.

Particularly troubling to AARP is the interim final case management rule that will impede efforts to move people out of institutions and into home and community-based services that most of us prefer and that are often more cost effective. Together, all seven of the proposed regulations pose an unconscionable threat to people who cannot afford the health and long-term care that they need.

Both the House and Senate have voted with bipartisan, veto-proof majorities in favor of a moratorium on all seven regulations. We therefore urge you to act now, despite veto threats, to delay implementation of these regulations and allow time to revise them to avoid harmful cost shifting to states and our most vulnerable citizens.

Sincerely,

David P. Sloane
Senior Vice President
Government Relations and Advocacy
www.aarp.org