Rep. Sanchez Introduces Medicare Adult Day Services Act

AAHSA’s Home and Community-Based Services is really excited about adult day services legislation Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.) recently introduced. The Medicare Adult Day Services Act of 2009, H.R. 3043, would provide Medicare reimbursement for adult day programs and give beneficiaries another option for receiving Medicare-covered post-acute services.

While this bill’s been introduced before, AAHSA provided suggestions to improve this version. For example, this bill requires eligible adult day programs to be licensed, certified, or accredited to ensure quality and decrease fraud and abuse.

With all that’s going on with health care reform, you may be wondering why this legislation’s needed now. Well, a recent New England Journal of Medicine article reported that 20 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who were discharged from the hospital were readmitted within 30 days, 12 percent of which could have been prevented.

If passed, this bill would give people the choice to receive post-acute services in adult day programs.  These programs typically provide eight to nine hours of care per day, and implement care plans that could reduce the possibility of hospital readmissions. And I don’t have to tell you that would save our system some money.

Just like Medicare-certified home health agencies, Medicare-certified adult day centers would provide physical, occupational and speech therapy; personal care, and social work services. People could also receive meals and take part in social and recreational activities (which can help stave off depression that’s common for older adults after a hospital stay). There’s also transportation to and from the day care center.

The longer hours of care that an individual receives at a day center is also important for his or her caregiver.  The number of caregivers who work and care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, and other types of dementia, is growing, yet there are only a few post-acute options that help these caregivers continue their valuable work.  Adult day services offer these individuals respite care and the security of knowing their loved ones are cared for day while they are at work.

Even though it was only introduced two weeks ago, the bill already has six co-sponsors and tremendous support from state and national organizations. A total of 80 organizations, including AAHSA, the National Adult Day Services Association and 25 state adult day service associations, are currently supporting it.

We need your help to get this bill passed.  Please Contact Congress and tell your legislator to co-sponsor this bill. Tell them it would provide their older and disabled constituents with more options of where they can receive quality, and cost-effective, post-acute care.

If you’re interested in finding out how to become more involved, or how to sign on your organization as a supporter of the legislation, please contact me, Morgan Gable at (202) 508-9427.