In Letters to President Trump and Congress, AGS Highlights Programs Essential to Supporting Older Adults

In letters to President Donald Trump and Congressional leaders, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) has reinforced the importance of collaborating to support older Americans through critical programs and policies.

“In our letters, we focused on programs that are critical to the clinical care of older Americans and their families, and on ensuring that we have a workforce with the skills and competence to care for us all as we age,”    noted Nancy E Lundebjerg, MPA, chief executive officer of the AGS. “We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress on public policy solutions that will achieve our vision for a future when every older American receives high-quality, person-centered care.”

As outlined by the AGS, that vision for the future involves federal and state policies that continue to: 

• Expand health care options for older adults so that more of us can (1) live independently for as long as possible, (2) understand the unique health needs that come with aging, and (3) support our current and future caregivers with adequate resources;
• Ensure that initiatives for rewarding quality in health care take into account the unique health circumstances of all older people, particularly those living with multiple chronic conditions or complex care needs;
• Strengthen primary and preventive care and care coordination;
• Address the acute and growing shortage of all geriatrics health care professionals while also ensuring that other clinicians have training that prepares them to care for older people; and
• Step-up and increase research concerned with healthy aging, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of age-related health problems, and the cost effectiveness of various approaches to care.

The AGS also outlined its policy positions on changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and repealing health reforms that might increase costs, reduce coverage, or cut benefits. 

Other recommendations included continuing innovations in care delivery and care coordination, as well as serving the needs of American veterans.

For long-term care specifically, the AGS highlighted the importance of the Veterans Health Administration and its commitment to expanding access to community-based services, as well as the role Medicaid plays covering nursing homes and home- and community-based services for some two million Americans who have spent their own assets and whose income is insufficient to cover long-term care. As noted in its letters, the AGS believes these and other key programs at the state and national levels “will ensure that older Americans can continue to make meaningful contributions to their communities.”

These letters join a host of other advocacy and public policy updates from the AGS since the start of the new year. Earlier in January, for example, the AGS submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on patient relationship categories and codes required by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). The AGS letter to CMS asked for clarification regarding the proposed description and use of categories and codes to ensure they minimize reporting burdens, allow for consistent and accurate reporting, and lead to better outcomes of care when they are implemented in 2018. 

With so much change on the horizon, the Public Policy Lecture at the AGS Annual Scientific Meeting (May 18-20; San Antonio, TX) will certainly be a bellwether for charting an even more robust path forward in the months ahead. 

Visit bit.ly/2kW4FSr for more meeting details.