HUD and HHS announce joint effort to assist nearly 1,000 non-elderly persons with disabilities to move from institutions to independence

U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today a joint partnership between the two agencies to help nearly 1,000 non-elderly Americans with disabilities leave nursing homes or other healthcare facilities to live independently. This is the first time two federal agencies are offering a combination of rental assistance, health care and other supportive services targeted to this population.

HUD is providing $7.5 million in rental assistance vouchers that will help nearly 1,000 individuals with disabilities rent private apartments. Public housing authorities in 15 states will administer the rental subsidies and will work with state human service agencies to identify eligible individuals who could benefit from the program. For a local breakdown of the funding announced today, visit HUD's Web site.

Individuals receiving rental assistance through the program will also receive health and social supports that will enable them to live independently. These supports are provided through the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's "Money Follows the Person" (MFP) grant program, which allows individuals who qualify for Medicaid-funded nursing home or other institutional care to receive supports - such as in-home nursing and personal care services - while living in the community instead. In places where the MFP program is not available, services will be provided by a state-sponsored institutional transitional program comparable to MFP that includes dedicated supportive services.

As part of President Obama's Year of Community Living initiative, HUD and HHS launched a joint effort to provide housing support for non-elderly persons with disabilities who are currently receiving long-term care in institutional settings. The interagency collaboration is intended to allow persons with disabilities to live productive independent lives in their communities rather than in institutions.

"The Obama administration is committed to helping Americans with disabilities live independent lives. Housing is a critical piece of the equation when it comes to transitioning out of institutions," said Donovan. "Coordinating this effort with the Department of Health and Human Services is an important step in ensuring that more Americans with disabilities will have the housing and support they need to fully participate in community life."

"Through our collaboration with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, I know that we will be able to dramatically change peoples' lives," said Sebelius. "Individuals with disabilities can have a life in the community that serves their needs and supports them in leading productive, meaningful lives."

The funding announced today is being provided through HUD's Rental Assistance for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities Program. It is part of the $40 million HUD made available April 2010 to public housing authorities across the U.S. to fund approximately 5,300 rental assistance vouchers for non-elderly persons with disabilities to promote independent living for this community. Public housing authorities applied for funding under two categories.

Last October, HUD awarded $33 million to support a first round of 4,300 vouchers, making it possible for non-elderly individuals with disabilities and their families to access affordable housing in communities that meet their housing needs and so avoid potential institutionalization. Today's announcement is for the second round funding to provide 948 vouchers targeted for non-elderly individuals with disabilities currently living in institutional settings, such as nursing homes, but who could move into a community with assistance.

These vouchers will augment work already being done by HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through its Money Follows the Person (MFP) rebalancing demonstration program. Now in its fourth year, the MFP program has made it possible for almost 12,000 individuals to live more independent lives by providing necessary supports and services in the community. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia are currently participating in the MFP program and CMS is expecting a new round of grant applications on January 7th.

State Medicaid agencies and local human service organizations will link eligible families to local public housing authorities that will administer voucher distribution. To improve the connections between the housing authorities and Medicaid agencies, HUD and HHS have launched the Housing Capacity Building Initiative for Community Living Project to assist seniors and individuals with chronic conditions who are at risk of institutionalization or who currently receive care in institutional settings, in finding appropriate housing in order to live more independent lives.

The Community Living Initiative is an outgrowth of the 1999 landmark Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. In that case, the Court ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects a person with a disability from being unnecessarily institutionalized. The Court said that such forced institutionalization can lead to isolation and segregation of individuals with disabilities and be a serious and pervasive form of discrimination.

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As August Congressional Recess Concludes, Polls Show Seniors, General Public Strongly Opposed to Medicare Cuts in Congressional Health Reform Plan

As August Congressional Recess Concludes, Polls Show Seniors, General Public Strongly Opposed to Medicare Cuts in Congressional Health Reform Plan, Says AHCA

/PRNewswire/ -- As Congress prepares to reconvene next week following an August recess replete with wide-ranging local discussion of how to fund health care reform, new polling finds both seniors and the public at large are strongly opposed to slashing Medicare-funded nursing home care to pay for the plan. Meanwhile, at events in Florida and Pennsylvania - states with large concentrations of Medicare beneficiaries - seniors and caregivers are urging their respective state congressional delegations to help preserve, protect and defend quality nursing home care as the legislative debate resumes Tuesday on Capitol Hill.

According to a new national poll (1000 RVs, 8/21-24, +/- 3%) and analysis from the Mellman Group (D), "78% of voters nationwide predict that if Congress cuts $32 billion in Medicare payments to nursing homes, the quality of care delivered to seniors will decline. Seniors are equally concerned, as 78% of those over 65 believe nursing home care will get worse because of such cuts, and a majority believes care will get 'much worse' (58%). Those approaching retirement age (55-64) express even more concern. 83% believe care will worsen." The Mellman Group data also finds a full 66% of voters are less likely to support their local member of Congress for re-election if he or she votes for cuts to Medicare-financed nursing home care. The poll analysis is available in its entirety at www.ahca.org.

Additionally, A new CNN poll (1010 Adults, 8/28-31, +/- 3%) released 9/2) finds that by a 43% to 26% margin, Americans believe senior citizens will be "worse off," not "better off," from the health care reform proposals now being advanced. 30% said "about the same"; 1% expressed no opinion.

The 9/2 Florida Times Union, in a story entitled, "Proposed Medicare Cuts Have Nursing Homes Worried," reports on a Jacksonville-area event in which seniors' advocates and nursing home staff warned Florida's Medicare funded nursing home care benefits will be cut $3.5 billion over ten years to finance health care reform. Lisa Cantrell, President of the National Association of Health Care Assistants, spoke at the Southlake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Mandarin, FL. "To Cantrell's side, propped against a wall, was a large, scroll-like petition urging Florida's congressional delegation to rethink the cuts. . . Patricia Johnson, 68, signed the petition with her left hand, as her dominant right hand remains paralyzed from a recent stroke. 'If they have to cut staff here,' her husband, Artie, said, 'it would be down to what I would call the bare minimum.' He added his name, too."

The 9/4 Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, in a story entitled, "Residents Petition Against Any Medicare Cuts," reports that "Caregivers, residents and family members gathered at the Riverstreet Manor Nursing Home Thursday to sign a petition to members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation asking that any health care reform bill does not include crippling cuts in Medicare funding." The story notes "Representatives of The Coalition to Protect Senior Care are touring the country's nursing homes asking them to urge their respective members of Congress not to support the currently proposed health care reform measure as long as it includes Medicare funding cuts for seniors in nursing homes by more than $32 billion over 10 years. In Pennsylvania, which would be the seventh hardest hit state, the cuts would total $2.1 billion. In the 11th Congressional District alone, where Riverstreet Manor is, the loss over the next decade would be about $142 million."

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New National Poll Finds Americans Strongly Opposed to Cutting Medicare Payments for Nursing Home Care as a Means of Financing Health Care Reform

/PRNewswire/ -- As federal lawmakers continue to sound out constituents over the August recess on health care reform, and how best to finance a broad-based overhaul, a new Mellman Group (D) national survey (1000 Registered Voters, 8/21-24, +/- 3%) finds Americans, by significant margins, strongly oppose cutting Medicare-funded nursing home care over other funding options. Underscoring the unpopularity of cutting Medicare-financed nursing home care - now proposed by Congress - the data finds a full 66% of voters less likely to support their local member of Congress for reelection if they voted to cut seniors' Medicare-funded care to finance health care reform, believing that cutting such payments would reduce quality of care.

Says the new Mellman Group poll analysis:

"Voters overwhelmingly oppose cutting Medicare payments to nursing homes as a means of financing healthcare reform, expressing their distaste for this approach in several ways during our brief survey.

First, it is the least popular of the funding options being considered.

Second, cutting Medicare payments to nursing homes is far and away the least acceptable method of financing reform.

Finally, a large majority of voters would feel less favorable toward a Member of Congress who supported such an approach. Voters say they will take out their anger on Members who vote for such nursing home cuts at the ballot box. The reason is straightforward--most Americans believe that cutting such payments will reduce the quality of care seniors receive in nursing homes. While healthcare reform is important to many Americans, Medicare funds for nursing homes are considered off limits as a way to finance reform."

When asked "If Congress cut $32 billion in Medicare payments to nursing homes to care for seniors, do you think the quality of care seniors receive in nursing homes would get better, stay about the same or get worse?" the analysis indicates that, "Seniors are equally concerned, as 78% of those over 65 believe nursing home care will get worse because of such cuts and a majority believe care will get much worse (58%)."

The following are the poll questions and results:

1. Congress is now considering ways to pay for healthcare reform. Which one of the following do you think is the most acceptable way to pay for healthcare reform?

Cutting Medicare payments to nursing homes to care for seniors 3%
Raising taxes on people who make over $250,000 per year 45%

Requiring people to pay taxes on generous healthcare benefits they receive from their employers 6%

Taxing health insurance companies 14%
None 26%
Don't know 6%


2. And which one of the following do you think is the least acceptable way to pay for healthcare reform?

Cutting Medicare payments to nursing homes to care for seniors 49%
Raising taxes on people who make over $250,000 per year 8%

Requiring people to pay taxes on generous healthcare benefits they receive from their employers 14%

Taxing health insurance companies 9%
None 14%
Don't know 6%


3. If Congress cut $32 billion in Medicare payments to nursing homes to care for seniors, do you think the quality of care seniors receive in nursing homes would get better, stay about the same or get worse? [IF BETTER/WORSE ASK]. And is that much [BETTER/WORSE] or only somewhat [BETTER/WORSE]?

Much better 4% 7%
Somewhat better 3%
Stay about the same 11%
Somewhat worse 19%
Much worse 59% 78%
Don't know 4%


4. If your Member of Congress voted to fund healthcare reform in part by cutting $32 billion in Medicare payments to nursing homes to care for seniors would you be __more likely to vote to reelect them, __less likely to vote to reelect them or would it not make much difference to your vote? [IF MORE/ LESS LIKELY ASK:] Is that much [MORE/LESS] or somewhat [MORE/LESS] likely?

Much more likely 5% 7%
Somewhat more likely 2%
No difference 20%
Somewhat less likely 17%
Much less likely 49% 66%
Don't know 6%


"From the results of this objective, timely and highly significant national survey, it is abundantly clear the public, to its credit, harbors strong antipathy to slashing Medicare beneficiaries' nursing home benefits to finance any broader reform package," stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA. "We strongly support the laudable objective of the Obama Administration and Congress to expand Americans' access to care, and help bring down health care costs. However, we will continue to warn both on Capitol Hill and at the local level how and why the $32 billion Medicare cuts now under consideration will not only harm seniors' ongoing access to quality nursing home care, but also jeopardize the jobs of the key frontline caregivers who make a significant difference in patients' care outcomes."

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