Health Care Reform and Older Adults
Now that health care reform legislation is law, most of us are wondering what’s next? What will the law mean for me, you, older adults in our communities, and those who advocate for elder rights? In the months and years ahead, elder advocates will be paying close attention to the implementation of health care reform issues related to older Americans. MVES will be working to help elders and individuals with disabilities make sense of it all.
Below are just a couple of the key provisions in health care reform that relate to elders.
The CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) Act is a new voluntary long-term care insurance program that represents a significant step forward in how older adults and individuals with disabilities will be able to access and afford home and community-based services in the future.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the agency that produces policy analyses, cost estimates of legislation, and budget projections that serve as a basis for Congress's decisions about spending and taxes, the CLASS Act will reduce Medicaid spending and is sustainable for the long term. It will help individuals and families who are struggling to maintain their independence and financial stability by providing a much needed daily benefit to help purchase the care they need to stay in their own homes.
Medicare Part D Enrollment
This bill makes improvements to the annual enrollment process for people who have Medicare. Starting in 2012, this bill will change the Medicare Part C and D enrollment period to begin on October 15 and end on December 7. Starting in 2011, it will include an annual 45-day period of disenrollment from Medicare Advantage Plans to allow beneficiaries to change their election to the original Medicare fee-for-service program under Medicare Part A and B.
Policy makers and advocates alike will face the challenges of implementing the new health care law in the coming years. These key provisions listed above, along with others that relate to elders that are not highlighted here, will need continued attention as they’re put into action.
