|
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, July 25, 2001 Action Is Needed Now To Address Indiana's Growing Home Health Care Crisis (State House, Indianapolis) With waiting lists for persons needing publicly funded home and community based long term care services surging to nearly 22,000 people, leaders of organizations representing senior citizens and persons with disabilities called on Governor O’Bannon and the General Assembly to take immediate action at a press conference held today in the State House. Speaking for the Indiana Home Care Task Force, an alliance of seventy organizations scattered throughout the state, was John Cardwell, the Chair of the Task Force and the Legislative Director of the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana. “Today, we have a home health care crisis that is without historic precedent in Indiana. Since November 2000 we have witnessed a surge in the number of people on waiting lists for CHOICE and Medicaid waiver services, the state’s two primary programs for home and community based long term care, of 32 percent, or from 16,600 people to nearly 22,000 people in just eight months. “Clearly, with increases of this magnitude the state can no longer say it is effectively addressing the long term care needs of the citizens of Indiana. With increases on this scale it is time for Governor O’Bannon to ask the General Assembly to take action. “If a special session is called in the fall the Governor must place the issue of home care funding squarely before the legislature. Should that fail to happen then the issue must be addressed by the legislature come January. Whatever the course, now is the time for a commitment by Governor O’Bannon to publicly lead the General Assembly in fully funding the CHOICE and Medicaid waiver home care programs.” Melissa Durr, the Executive Director of the Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging, spoke on behalf of those people who must administer publicly funded home care services at the local level. “These waiting list figures are discouraging and disheartening. People should not have to be on a waiting list in order to stay in their homes. People should not need a waiver from the government to remain in their homes. A system that makes its harder to receive home and community based care than care given in an institution is a system that is out of balance. “For example, in November of last year we had 7,400 people on waiting lists for CHOICE services. That number has now grown to 10,338. Last November we also had 9,200 people on waiting lists for Medicaid waivers and that number has now jumped to 11,588. “When we know the average annual cost of a person in Indiana for nursing home care through Medicaid is now $35,066 compared to $9,162 for CHOICE and $9,759 for a person using the aged and disabled Medicaid waiver, then we can find no justification for the state’s failure to offer these alternatives to its citizens. Tragically, we now know that 123 people died in the Indianapolis area during the last six months of the year 2000 while waiting for home care services. With the latest jump in the waiting list numbers we know such deaths must be increasing. Clearly, action is needed now by the administration and the state legislature in order to protect the health and well being of the citizens of Indiana.” Nancy Griffin, State Director for Indiana AARP, commented on how home and community based care was at a crisis stage for the taxpayers, caregivers, and those who need care. “AARP’s Public Policy Institute published in its recently released annual report on long term care a shocking statistic: among the states and the three territories Indiana ranks 50th in the number of nursing home beds per capita for citizens age 65 and above. At the same time, nursing home bed occupancy in Indiana has remained at 75 percent or less for the past two years. In other words, Hoosiers are paying for far too many empty nursing home beds in an over built system that has the highest long term care costs. This has, in turn, created a heavy financial burden for taxpayers, for persons needing long term care, and for their care givers. Hoosiers deserve better than this. “Instead of wasting our tax dollars on hollow institutions they should be invested in a system of care that people want and need, and which serves the best interests of taxpayers. Our public leaders should be investing our dollars in a long term care system built around home and community based services. Simply stated, that means fully funding the need for services through CHOICE and Medicaid waivers.” John Cardwell offered a concluding comment on the recent budget cuts announced by Governor O’Bannon. “The $50 million in budget reductions recently announced by the Governor may prove to be a plus if those cuts convince the General Assembly that Indiana does have a real budget crisis that must be addressed. However, anything short of that in the area of human services will only exacerbate the problems faced by Hoosiers who must have publicly funded services. For example, the one million dollars in cuts slated for the CHOICE home care program will only serve to drive more people into premature nursing home placements and/or premature death. These are not acceptable outcomes in a humane and civil society.” Contact: John Cardwell, 317.205.3535
| CAC Home Page
| Table of Contents | Issues Index |
|