Health
Medicaid cut in GOP health bill worries the nursing home set
Published
9 years agoon
Amy Bernard and her brother kept their mother out of a nursing home as long as they could, until Parkinson’s and dementia took their toll and she was seriously injured in a fall.
Bernard is happy with her mother’s nursing home care, but it comes at a steep price: $7,000 per month, an amount that would be way beyond the older woman’s means if not for Medicaid, which picks up $3,000 of the tab.
Which is why Bernard and many other Americans like her are watching the health care debate on Capitol Hill with trepidation.
The Senate Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act would cut projected Medicaid spending over the next decade by 25 percent.
Supporters of the bill say nursing home subsidies would not suffer significant cuts, but opponents say they are inevitable. The uncertainty is frustrating to those who rely on them.
In the case of Bernard’s 83-year-old mother, retired teacher Franceen Golditch, the $4,000 that she receives each month from her pension and Social Security goes almost entirely to the nursing home.
“Without Medicaid supplementing, I don’t know what would happen,” said Bernard, a self-employed graphic artist in Boynton Beach, Florida. She added: “I have a house and kids to support myself. I honestly have no answer.”
While the federal-state Medicaid program is most often associated with poor children and single mothers, almost two-thirds of its spending goes to the elderly and the disabled, even though they make up just 1 in 4 recipients.
The reason: Well over half the nation’s 1.3 million senior citizens in nursing homes receive Medicaid. The burden is expected to balloon as the 74 million surviving baby boomers — those born between 1946 and 1964 — get older. They are 52 to 71 now.
In part because of the Medicaid cuts, the GOP bill lacks the votes to pass in the Senate, which is expected to take up the measure again after Congress’ weeklong July Fourth recess.
The bill would cut Medicaid’s projected budget over the next 10 years by a combined $772 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That would decrease the amount projected to be spent federally on Medicaid during that time to about $4.2 trillion.
Even with those cuts, nursing home patients would continue to receive significant assistance because federal Medicaid spending would grow by 20 percent over the next decade from its current level, said Zach Hunter, a spokesman for the GOP-led House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which helped write the House version of the bill.
Meanwhile, he said, federal regulations would be eased, giving states more flexibility to tailor their programs.
The proposed changes are “an important step towards strengthening the Medicaid program and ensuring vital funds go to the most vulnerable,” Hunter said. He said the bill makes provisions, for example, for possible medical advances such as drugs for Alzheimer’s or other diseases of the aged.
Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center, an advocacy group that opposes the bill, said substantial cuts eventually would hurt those who rely on nursing home assistance.
“You can’t say you are going to save a lot of money on kids and pregnant women because there isn’t a lot of money there to save,” Baker said. “Look at the population that is costing you a lot and, frankly, that is older adults and older adults who are 85-plus.”
Medicare, the federal health insurance program that primarily covers people 65 and older, does not cover long-term nursing home care.
To qualify for Medicaid nursing-home coverage, unmarried senior citizens in most states must have incomes of less than $2,205 per month, including Social Security and pensions. Some states have a lower limit. The threshold is higher for married couples. Single people also must have drained their assets below $2,000, though there is an exemption for home equity.
People with higher incomes can become eligible if their medical and nursing home expenses are too heavy. That is why Golditch is covered.
In 45 states and the District of Columbia, Medicaid also covers some senior citizens who are in assisted living centers or need home health aides.
Chuck Schwarz, who suffered a stroke in 2014, said Illinois’ Medicaid program allows him and his wife of 60 years, Cathy, to stay at an assisted living complex in South Elgin, about 40 miles from Chicago. She has Alzheimer’s, and Schwarz said being able to visit her daily has kept them both alive. Medicaid pays about 85 percent of their $9,785 monthly bill.
“I don’t know if I will be affected by the cuts or not. I may not be. If they do, I don’t know what I would do,” said Schwarz, an 82-year-old retired salesman and former Navy commander. “We have pretty much exhausted our savings. We didn’t expect to live this long.”
Daniel Reingold, CEO of the nonprofit that runs New York City’s 1,000-bed Hebrew Home at Riverdale, a nursing home, said Medicaid cuts will reduce the quality and amount of care for the aged and sick. He said nursing homes will reduce staff and might send their residents to the hospital for some medical procedures, at a higher cost to the government.
“It is a short-sighted view,” he said.
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Health
Buccaneers to Honor Cancer Survivors at Sunday’s Crucial Catch Game, Donating $40K to Research
Published
2 years agoon
September 24, 2024By
Willie David
TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – On Sunday, September 29, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Philadelphia Eagles at Raymond James Stadium in a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. The game will be the Buccaneers’ Crucial Catch event, supporting the NFL’s campaign to fight cancer and emphasizing the importance of early detection.
The Buccaneers will continue their tradition of giving back, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation set to donate $40,000 to cancer research, raising their total contributions to over $550,000 in the last 13 years. Funds will benefit key cancer organizations including AdventHealth West Florida Foundation, Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation, and more.
Throughout the game, fans, players, and partners will “Raise the Flags” for loved ones affected by cancer. Fans will receive a custom mini-poster to show their support. At halftime, cancer survivors Bianca Muniz and Elana Gilbert will take the stage for an emotional performance honoring those impacted by cancer.
Official Crucial Catch merchandise will be available, with all proceeds supporting the American Cancer Society’s mission to provide screenings to underserved communities.
Health
AdventHealth awards $1.4 million to 6 nonprofits addressing urgent workforce needs in Central Florida
Published
2 years agoon
September 18, 2024By
Willie David
ORLANDO, Fla. — AdventHealth is distributing nearly $1.4 million over the next three years to the 2024 recipients of its Community Impact Grants, giving six Central Florida nonprofits the chance to bolster their missions and help bring prosperity and wholeness to the community by training the workforce of tomorrow.
This year’s Community Impact Grants are focused on one of Central Florida’s top community health concerns, addressing critical workforce development needs in the health care, construction, hospitality and tourism industries, by funding programs that will provide job training, internship and apprenticeship opportunities and education assistance. Workforce development was selected as the priority for this year’s grants based on input from residents in the triannual Community Health Needs Assessment, building on investments made in 2023 that focused on mental health.
“At AdventHealth, we talk a lot about whole-person care, and we also realize that a person’s health is determined by so much more than just the health care setting,” said JB Boonstra, executive director of Community Advocacy for AdventHealth. “We know that employment is one of the most significant social determinants of health and a key part of that is earning a living wage. This year’s spotlight on workforce development speaks directly to that.”
The median income for a household in the Orlando area is about $43,000, the Department of Labor reports — not even close to the wage needed to live in Florida for a family of four, which is about $66,300, according to the United Way’s ALICE report.
“Almost half the people who go to work every day don’t make enough money to pay the bills, and one of the biggest challenges we see here in Central Florida in terms of workforce development is access to career opportunities,” said Marc Stanakis, president and CEO of Jobs Partnership, one of this year’s grant recipients. “For a lot of people in our community, they just don’t know what’s available or what types of jobs they can pursue that would allow them to get on a career path toward economic mobility. For organizations like ours, it’s really exciting to see the change that happens by simply opening the door of opportunity for someone.”
The 2024 grant recipients:
- CareerSource Central Florida’s Community Health Champions program aims to create a career pipeline into the health care industry. Whatever roadblocks residents are facing, including language barriers, transportation challenges or unreliable Internet access for applying to jobs, CareerSource Central Florida offers a variety of vocational training and internship opportunities to overcome them. CSCF is upskilling health care workers who are culturally competent, empathetic and equipped to connect with the diverse populations they serve, making health care more accessible and impactful. Training goes beyond job skills, focusing on understanding and addressing the unique needs of community members.
- The Sharing Center’s ProjectRISE, which, in addition to the organization’s food pantry, homeless resource center and thrift store, aims to address poverty and assist residents in accessing higher-paying jobs. Funding for ProjectRISE will allow 360 residents to enroll in a four-week comprehensive workforce development program focused on building emotional intelligence, soft skills and job-acquisition skills.
- employU’s vocational rehabilitation program serves residents with mental and physical disabilities as part of the organization’s mission to create inclusive workplaces. Acting as a one-stop shop for career development and employment resources, employU provides employment training, paid work experience, job placement and job retention support. The organization will use the grant to fund new initiatives to help individuals access community resources and prepare for employment through workshops on financial literacy, social media safety and workplace readiness. It will also fund a program manager position to reach more residents and ultimately help them achieve financial independence.
- Home Builders Institute BuildStrong Academy of Orlando is a tuition-free program delivering industry-recognized skills to train a new generation of home builders looking to break into the construction industry. The Academy offers career-focused education through hands-on learning, classroom instruction and real-life experience. Students train with skilled trades instructors who guide them through HBI’s nationally and industry recognized Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training curriculum and receive job placement assistance upon graduation, helping build a pipeline of residential and commercial construction workers.
- iBuild Central Florida’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program is an innovative approach in attracting more people to jobs in the telecommunications construction industry, which is currently facing mass shortages nationwide. Based at Osceola Technical College, the program targets students enrolled in English language-acquisition and GED classes, 80% of whom live below the federal poverty line.
- Jobs Partnership’s Stepping Up program equips residents who are unemployed or working low-wage jobs, combining soft skills training, career navigation and vocational training scholarships. Since its founding in 1999, the organization has served more than 3,300 people, empowering them to change their professional trajectories and developing a career pipeline into the health care industry. Last year, 79% of participants got a new job or started vocational training after completing the program.
Among the organizations that received grants, two are focused on bolstering the construction workforce. Central Florida’s lack of construction workers has contributed to a lack of affordable and attainable housing, with median home prices reaching $440,000, according to the Orlando Regional Realtors Association. And as the state wrangles with a shortfall of nearly 436,000 rental units, renters — who make up a third of the region’s population — have also watched rents skyrocket, hitting $1,600 a month for a one-bedroom unit.
“Virtually every industry is experiencing labor shortages, but the construction industry is significantly undersupplied,” said Emily Price, senior vice president of development and partnerships engagement for the Home Builders Institute. “The construction industry needs approximately 732,000 new workers each year to meet demand.”
Recognizing that employment and access to housing go hand in hand, Crystal Davidson, vice president of iBuild Central Florida, said creating a pipeline into the construction industry addresses multiple challenges. “They’ll be in a career field in the construction industry where they won’t want for a job for at least the next 25 years,” Davidson said, “because there is such a skills trade shortage across the United States, but especially in Florida.”
For more than 115 years, AdventHealth has called Central Florida home, and as a not-for-profit organization, has the privileged duty to invest financial resources into the community. In 2023 alone, AdventHealth contributed nearly $1.3 billion in community investments in Orange, Osceola, Seminole and South Lake counties, allowing more residents to access the medical care they need and deserve and supporting local nonprofit organizations.
“Investing in our community is a responsibility that AdventHealth treats very seriously and passionately, because we’ve seen the transformation that happens with these dollars,” said Tricia Edris, chief innovation and partnerships officer for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. “AdventHealth is proud to bring these six organizations together to now tackle issues around workforce development. It’s too big a problem for just one of us to solve. We must come together as a community.”
Health
Officials Celebrate Milestone at AdventHealth Minneola Topping-Out Ceremony
Published
2 years agoon
September 6, 2024
MINNEOLA, Fla. (FNN) – AdventHealth Minneola marked a major construction milestone today as leaders, physicians, elected officials, and community members gathered for the hospital’s topping-out ceremony. The new facility has reached its full height of four stories, with attendees signing a commemorative structural beam.
“AdventHealth is honored to be Minneola’s partner in health. I’m thrilled to bring this world-class healthcare facility to South Lake County,” said Kay Barnett, CEO of AdventHealth Minneola.
Located on Hancock Road near Florida’s Turnpike, the 204,000-square-foot hospital will feature an emergency department, operating suites, heart catheterization labs, 80 private inpatient rooms, and more. It is expected to bring around 500 jobs to the community.
“Providing care close to home is central to our mission,” said Dr. Miles Bennett, Chief Medical Officer for AdventHealth Winter Garden and Clermont.
The facility is set to open in late 2025.
