Weekly News Wrap-Up (July 20 - July 24)

The National Advisory Board (NAB) was Invited to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Annual Summit to Present “Declaration for Independence” and Discuss State Long Term Services and Supports Programs (July 24, 2009)
Four members of the NAB told an audience of legislators from across the country that the NAB’s Call to Action to transform our health care system to address long term services and supports was about people, not programs. Len Kirschner, Rob Sweezy, Jane Woods and Chuck Graham spoke to the National Conference of State Legislators on a panel entitled “Transforming the Systems of Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities.” The panel was moderated by Senator Renee Unterman (GA) who also serves as the Chair of NCSLs Human Services and Welfare Committee.

House, Senate Leaders Back Away From August Deadline for Healthcare Reform (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living, July 24, 2009)
President Barack Obama’s August deadline for healthcare reform was always an ambitious goal. Ultimately, it is proving a little too difficult to achieve as legislators on the Hill Thursday said they plan to regroup after the upcoming recess.

White House backs Medicare Cost-Cutting Mechanism, Centrists Say (The Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2009)
Democratic centrists said they secured a verbal commitment from the White House to support a proposal that would give the executive branch power to implement Medicare spending cuts based on the recommendation of independent experts. They said the White House also verbally agreed to include the measure in the House health care bill.

Healthcare Reform Could Hurt State Medicaid Programs, Governors Say (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living, July 21, 2009)
Democratic and Republican governors may not see eye to eye on many issues, but they have similar opinions on one issue: healthcare reform. Efforts to reform the system won’t do enough to curb spending and could wind up costing the states billions of dollars they don’t have, they believe.

Daschle: Nursing Home Administrators Should Organize Politically to Boost Awareness of Long-Term Care (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living, July 23, 2009)
Congress needs to better understand the role of long-term care in healthcare reform, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said at a healthcare quality summit in Washington on Monday.