As August Congressional Recess Concludes, Polls Show Seniors, General Public Strongly...

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

Large Majority of Seniors Fear Negative Impact on Care if Congress Slashes
Medicare Benefits; At FL and PA Events, Lawmakers Urged to Help Preserve,
Protect and Defend Quality Nursing Home Care

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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."

SOURCE American Health Care Association

Courtney Goodwin, +1-703-966-1214, for American Health Care Association