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Senior Citizen Politics
Sen. Lincoln Chairs Aging Committee Hearing,
Introduces Bill for Better Care of Chronically Ill Seniors
Medicare does not provide incentives for physicians
to coordinate chronic conditions
 May 10, 2007 - U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln
(D-Ark.) chaired a Special Committee on Aging hearing titled, “The
Future of Medicare: Recognizing the Need for Chronic Care Coordination,”
on yesterday and took advantage of the opportunity to introduce Medicare
legislation she has tried to pass since 2001. The bill would link
eligible seniors suffering from chronic illnesses with a qualified
health professional to coordinate their care.
The purpose of the hearing was to examine the need
for care coordination for Medicare beneficiaries who suffer from
multiple chronic illnesses. Approximately 78 percent of those in
Medicare have one or more chronic conditions and 63 percent have two or
more chronic conditions.
Lincoln said her legislation - the “Geriatric
Assessment and Chronic Care Coordination Act of 2007” - is a necessary
step in order to improve the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness
of care for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries.
“Many older Americans suffer from multiple chronic
conditions such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease and would benefit
from care coordination. These chronic conditions are not only
devastating to seniors and straining to their caregivers, but also they
are expensive to treat,” Lincoln said.
“This bill realigns Medicare to provide
high-quality, cost-effective care to older adults with multiple chronic
illnesses. It is an important step forward in recognizing and remedying
the impact that multiple chronic conditions have on individuals, their
caregivers, and the Medicare program.”
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More about
hearing, video available |
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Below is a list of those who made
presentations yesterday. To read their comments in pdf format,
click on thename.
Statements of Committee Members
●
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman
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Senator Blanche Lincoln, (D-AR)
Witness Testimony
●
Todd Semla, Pharm.D., President, American Geriatrics
Society, Evanston, Illinois
●
Gerald Anderson, Ph.D., Professor of Public Health and
Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomsberg School of Public Health,
Baltimore, Maryland
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David Dorr, M.D., Assistant Professor, Medical Informatics &
Clinical Epidemiology Joint Appointment: General Internal
Medicine & Geriatrics, Oregon Health & Science University,
Portland, Oregon
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Stuart Guterman, Senior Program Director, Program on
Medicare's Future, The Commonwealth Fund, Former Director,
Office of Research, Development and Information, Centers for
Medcare and Medicaid Services, Washington, DC
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Stephen McConnell, Ph.D., Vice President of Advocacy and
Public Policy, Alzheimer's Association, Washington, DC
●
Ann Bowers, Caregiver, Fort Smith, Arkansas
To View the Hearing in Real Video – Click Here |
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As Baby Boomers age, the number of adults with
chronic conditions is expected to increase, leading to greater
utilization of medical services, such as hospitalizations and physician
visits. More than 80 percent of our country’s medical care spending
will be associated with treating the 157 million Americans expected to
have a chronic condition in 2020.
Lincoln’s program would provide for a comprehensive
review of an individual’s medical condition, functional and cognitive
capacity, as well as environmental and psychosocial needs.
Individuals who have been assessed and deemed
eligible for care coordination services may elect to use this benefit
and choose a chronic care manager. High-cost Medicare beneficiaries and
beneficiaries with either multiple chronic conditions or dementia and at
least one chronic condition are eligible for the program.
Lincoln introduced her chronic care legislation in
conjunction with the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing entitled
“The Future of Medicare: Recognizing the Need for Chronic Care
Coordination.” Lincoln will chair the committee hearing Wednesday
afternoon.
Thirty aging and health care organizations have
endorsed Lincoln’s bill, including the American Geriatrics Society, the
Alzheimer’s Association, and the American College of Physicians.
“The legislation will make important changes to
Medicare so that the most vulnerable patients have improved access to
comprehensive and coordinated geriatric care,” said Dr. Todd Semla,
president of the American Geriatrics Society. “The legislation supports
a process that values prevention and coordinated care and seeks
involvement of patients, their family members and caregivers. We believe
this approach is key to improved health outcomes, higher quality health
care, and potential cost savings to the Medicare program.”
“Most Americans with Alzheimer’s disease also
suffer from multiple chronic health conditions, such as heart disease
and diabetes,” said Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s
Association. “The Geriatric Assessment and Chronic Care Coordination Act
of 2007 addresses that problem squarely through much needed assessment
and care coordination. The Alzheimer’s Association applauds Senator
Blanche Lincoln for her vision and foresight in developing this
legislation, which would have enormous benefit for patients and their
families as well as for physicians and the entire Medicare program.”
“The American College of Physicians applauds the
proposed new Medicare benefit for geriatric assessments of patients with
multiple chronic disease and/or dementia,” noted David C. Dale, MD, FACP
president of the 120,000-member ACP. “We strongly endorse the
importance of providing monthly care management fees to physicians who
enter into an agreement with HHS to give ongoing care coordination
services to such patients.”
The hearing also addressed chronic care related to
the Medicare fee-for-service program. More than 85 percent of
beneficiaries continue to rely on the traditional program for their
health care services. Currently, the traditional Medicare program does
not provide incentives for physicians to coordinate chronic conditions
resulting in a fragmented system of care, more frequent visits to the
doctor, and higher health care costs.
Sen. Lincoln's webpage:
http://lincoln.senate.gov/
Committee webpage:
www.aging.senate.gov
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