AAHSA Joins Sixty Aging and Disability Groups to Fight for Long-Term Services and Supports in Health Care Reform

Advertising and Grassroots Initiative Launches Today

WASHINGTON, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) today joined more than 60 aging and disability organizations to urge legislators to make long-term services and supports (LTSS) a part of health care reform legislation.

The groups partnered on a full-page ad in Roll Call today and on a Congressional call-in day. Participating organizations include AARP, Alzheimer’s Association, Paralyzed Veterans of America, SEIU, National Council on Aging, The Arc of the United States, and numerous consumer, service provider and labor groups. The ad can be viewed at www.aahsa.org/rollcallad.aspx.

Expanding access to the uninsured and restraining the rate of health cost growth are critical objectives of health reform. But health care reform will not be complete without addressing the challenges faced by the millions of people with disabilities who need services to manage their health care needs and maintain their independence.

“The fact that disability and aging communities are coming together shows how salient and urgent this crisis is,” AAHSA CEO Larry Minnix said. “Vulnerable adults of all ages with disabilities cannot afford or access the services they need in the setting of their choice.”

Right now, 10 million Americans need long-term services and supports every day. Forty percent are under 65. More than 44 million people provide this care to their loved ones. The costs of this care not only affect people, but businesses, government programs, the medical profession and the economy as a whole. It is simply unaffordable to care.

“There is an artificial line between acute care and long-term service and supports,” Minnix said. “Health care reform without long-term services and supports will fail to solve this crisis.”

About AAHSA

The members of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org) help millions of individuals and their families every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services that people need, when they need them, in the place they call home. Our 5,700 member organizations, many of which have served their communities for generations, offer the continuum of aging services: adult day services, home health, community services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes. AAHSA’s commitment is to create the future of aging services through quality people can trust.

SOURCE American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging